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| White Chamber, Moffatt-Ladd House, at Twilight (courtesy photo) |
PORTSMOUTH -
For just one evening every two years, Portsmouth’ most
beautiful historic house museums show off their interiors during the twilight
hours. This rare opportunity to see the homes and gardens by
“candlelight” will take place on Friday August 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. To make the
evening extra special, this year the tours will be augmented at each house with
brief talks on collection objects, dramatizations of historic events, and
period music as well as light refreshments. Travel through the eighteenth
and early nineteenth century throughout the evening. At the 1718 Warner House,
learn about Archibald McPhaedris and the Mohawk chiefs. At the 1758 John Paul
Jones House enjoy talks about John Paul Jones and the French officers,
and take a special look at the museum’s outstanding collection of Portsmouth
samplers. The 1763 Moffatt-Ladd House will come alive with two dramatic
presentations at 5:30 and 6:45 pm: “Polly Moffatt and the French Officers’ Ball,”
while at Strawbery Banke visitors will enjoy the music of the American
Revolution with Richard Spicer on the harpsichord at Pitt Tavern, and a tour
the 1762 Chase House. At the 1784 Gov. John Langdon House, Historic New
England Associate Curator Laura Johnson will share a newly acquired silhouette
of John Langdon with visitors and at the 1807 Rundlet-May House, collection
manager Nicole Chalfant will describe favorite items from the house's
collection. Other houses open for this special evening include the 1750
Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, the 1760 Wentworth Gardner House, and the ca.
1740 Tobias Lear House.
Adult Tickets are $18 in advance, and $20 the evening of the
tour. Tickets for Children 12 and under are $9 in advance, and $10
the evening of the tour. If you are unable to visit all of the houses on
the evening of the tour and wish to return, Twilight Tour tickets will be good
for regular admission to the houses through the end of the 2012 season.
Proceeds of the tour benefit the member sites of the
Portsmouth Historic House Associates, Inc. (PHHA), and PHHA joint
programming. Founded in 1946, PHHA is a consortium of local historic
house museums that includes Historic New England (Jackson House, Gov. John
Langdon House and the Rundlet-May House), the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden,
the Portsmouth Historical Society at the John Paul Jones House, Strawbery Banke
Museum, the Warner House Association, the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, and the
Wentworth Lear Association. PHHA is dedicated to fostering communication
among Portsmouth's independent historic house museums to bring to a wider
audience the history of Portsmouth, its architecture, its gardens, and its
people. Learn more about PHHA and its activities, and find contact
information for each of the houses at www.portsmouthhistorichouses.org.
For more information or to reserve tickets for the Twilight Tour, please call
603-436-8433. Tickets may be purchased at the Discover Portsmouth Center
at 10 Middle Street, at any of the member sites, or online at
portsmouthhistory.org.
