Victorian Christmas Open House
Remick Museum - 2005
by Patricia and James Cummings
Upon getting out of the car at the Remick Country Doctor Farm and Museum, we were greeted with a "Moo" from one of the two steers that belong to the museum and are pastured roadside. The breath of the large animal was visible in the cold December air, and we could see that he was taking very seriously his duty of official greeter. More delights were in store.
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As
we stepped into the Captain Enoch Remick House, abounding in Victorian
decor, the smell wafting through the air was that of both baking sugar
cookies and a simmering kettle of spiced cider.
The
old house, which is just one of the buildings owned by the Remick Museum,
belonged to the Remick family for generations. Each year, the staff
lovingly decorates every corner and every downstairs room so that
visitors can see old ephemera, antique games and toys, old Christmas cards,
and books for children, ornaments, decorations, photos, antique quilts
and more. At the left, Jill Vierus appears in a period costume in the living room.
There are three trees, each with a different theme. A small tree in the kitchen is decorated with strings of cranberries and popcorn. A large tree in the parlor has more formal decorations. In the room where Dr. Remick had his medical practice, there is a tree that has photo ornaments of members of the Remick family.
While Jim was busy taking the photos that you see here, I was sitting in a
back
room of the house where the museum's antique quilts were on
display. They generated quite a lot of interest from everyone who passed
through the room. Of course, those who are quilters or who do needlework
themselves were the people who had the most questions and spent considerable
time looking at these vintage works. At right is a photo of Pat Cummings
standing amidst some of the quilts.
A very detailed account of the antique quilts in the Remick collection is provided in an article that we prepared for The Quilter magazine, July 2005.
The room where the quilts were displayed has served three purposes over the years. First a dining room, it was later used as a tavern. The house was a stagecoach stop between Conway and Meredith. Then, Dr. Remick, and his son, Dr. Edwin Remick, (who died in 1993) used the room as a medicine room. The shallow, glass cabinets on three walls attest to that fact. Between them, the two country doctors devoted a total of ninety-nine years to the practice of medicine in the sleepy town of Tamworth, within sight of the beautiful Mt. Chocorua.
Of course, we loved seeing everything! The centerpiece for the dining
room table this year was designed by the museum's Comptroller, Marilou
MacLean. At the right, click on the photo to see a larger image of the
centerpiece display. Curator, Gerry Eldridge is standing in the doorway in
her lovely red dress. A pineapple, a traditional sign of "Welcome," was at
the center of an arrangement of boughs, fruit, and candles. Marilou baked
hundreds of Molasses Spice Cookies for this event and only a few cookies
remained at the end of the day. She estimates that she has baked about one
thousand cookies in support of museum functions this past year.
Marilou
also shared two special Victorian quilts that had belonged to her aunt. A
close-up of a Crazy Quilt block can be seen here. This small quilt has
beautiful embroidery stitches and is made of all "fancy fabrics," so typical
of the 1880s. A Redwork coverlet that belongs to Marilou also captured the
attention of many visitors.
The Open House was scheduled between the hours of 1-4 p.m. on December 11, 2005. As requested, we arrived a bit early and already lots of people had shown up. By the end of the day, the curator stated that about one hundred seventy five adults and children had passed through the house.
As usual, Jim and I had a wonderful time. We so appreciated the special invitation to be a part of this event. A big thank you to Curator Gerry Eldridge; Assistant Curator Winnie Mitchell; Comptroller, Marilou Maclean; and Director Bob Cottrell; and all of the docents and volunteers who helped to make this event very successful. Below, as her sister Gerry looks on, Winnie is making popcorn on the old wood cookstove. Popcorn balls were then made for visitors.
Click here for A Victorian Christmas at the Remick Museum: 2004
Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. pat@quiltersmuse.com