Dear Old House: The Gilded Age of Spring Hill Exhibit
In this exhibit, Spring Hill Historic Home will reflect the Gilded Age through a look at the lives of Arvine Chaffee Wales, his wife Eliza, and their eldest child, Helen Wales Skinner. Step back in time to the charming splendor of Spring Hill Farm which will be set to resemble this Gilded Age-period of our history.
Special Tours:
First-person interpretive tours will allow you to be guided through the house by either a member of the domestic staff or Helen Wales herself! The house is staged with artifacts, documents, and garments as though you’ve come to visit the family for the afternoon.
To schedule your tour, contact info@springhillhistorichome.org or call 330-833-6749.
Special Programs within this Exhibit:
We invite guests to expand their knowledge and enjoyment of Gilded Age hospitality, entertainment, and history. Registration for these events will open as dates approach.
Spring Hill’s Gilded Age in Food with Food Historian, Kyle Yoho. Saturday, August 24th | 1:00 pm
Food Historian, Kyle Yoho, explores how Spring Hill’s Wales family bucked the elitist trend in a time marked for extravagance and waste by their wealthy contemporaries. At a time when the term “conspicuous consumption” was first coined and the well-to-do largely lacked empathy for the working class, the residents of Spring Hill farm displayed modesty and generosity in the home, in their business dealings, and amongst their neighbors. Through horticultural acumen and agricultural enterprise Spring Hill mirrored the abundance and industry of the Gilded Age -in terms of food – for the benefit of their community.
Sister Suffragette Tea. Thursday, October 3rd | Noon
Spring Hill director, Kathleen Bachtel, will host a lecture on the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the push for Women’s Rights. A traditional tea with refreshments will be provided. Open to all.