The Washington times., 1934-10-27
Helen Essary

IA, OH bQe
banks of the Helen ESSary
Susquehanna River, Mrs. Meigs
found within its walls a COM
plete Victorian era.
In the great attic, discarded
furniture and trunks were full
of not only clothing but of
everything that decorated an
lend of the Nineteenth Century
home" and that was used for
a Victorian household.
1t was a terrifying task to
assort the thousand-and-one
articles, to clean and mend the
romantic old ball gowns, the
dresses, hats, bonnets, shoes,
and childrens' clothing and to
place them on exhibit in rooms
that are furnished in 1880
style with walnut furniture,
beds with fluted pillow shamS
and with marble-top wash
stands complete with china
water sets and splashers above.
The parlor of Fort Hunter, so
Mr.. and Mrs. Frank S. Bright
and Miss Oberly report, is a gem
of the Victorian age. To quote
the sales catalogues of many a
mail,order house, lit must be
seen to be appreciated"
At the entrance a painted sign
reads:
"Where Godey's Ladies' Book
Comes to Life"
And so it does. My friends
declare that Mrs. Meigs and her
daughter, who were there last
week, and Miss McCants, who is
keeper of the museum, greeted
them in costumes that were the
"dernier cri" just at the ebb OF
the last century-costumes that
belonged to their ancestors and
that were entrancingly becom'
ing to the wearers.
From a booklet they gave me,
written by Mrs. MeigS, who is
making a great success of her
. ancestral home and creating a
really living museum that pre-
serves more completely a dis
h tinct period of history than any
other place in the United States,
I should like to quote:
"Much of the woodwork Of the
house is hand-hewn. The hall
is very handsome, with one of
the first spiral staircases in
Pennsylvania. The great door
is set in a colonial frame. Re
ceSsed cupbOardS in the hall con-
tain interesting pieces of china,
glass, and pewter. The big
parlor on the river side has a
mantel of marble, imported from
Italy. With its original Brus-
sells carpet, needle point and
cross-stitch chairs, fire screen,
ottamans and sofa pillows, pOr-
traits, landscapes and china Or
naments on the mantel and what"
nots, the room is typical of
family life in the late nine
teenth century"
On the second floor in the
children's playroom are dolls
' and their dresses, doll buggies
and games, and a completely
furnished dolls house done in
1850.
The costumes are displayed in
the bedrooms. The nursery
shows underwear and dresses
beginning with infants cloth
ing of the nineteenth century
and continuing through boys
and girls clothes" on to the
dresses which clearly show how
closely the Cooley book was fol-
lowed by the mistresses of Fort
Hunter.
No better idea of the costum.
ing of the last 100 years could
be formed than by inspecting
this fascinating collection. It is
now on exhibition; the house
and grounds are open daily.
It is a gorgeous drive to Fort
Hunter, so I hear, through 100
miles of magnificent country,
straight through historic Gettys-
burg. I am promising myself
q trip there soon.
If there are many more tes-
timonial dinners at the May
flower to Col. Harrison Dodge,
superintendent of Mt. Vernon.
certain enthusiastic ladies will
be plump and hearty as Martha
Washington.
The menu, characteristic Of
George Washington's day. was
so tempting to some of the
ladies that-well, judge for
yourself.
At our table we began with
thick vegetable soup, passed
quickly to two kinds of fish
and sauce and potatoes, then
succumbed in big-eyed way to
the meat course: turkey-dark
meat and white meat-tWo help
ings each; chestnut stuffing-
two helpings; pork chops-two:
Smithfield ham-two slices;
peas and creamed squash-foul
Spoonsful each: corn bread
ginger bread, white wine, red
wine in bulk: chocolate pud
ding, apple pie and honey dew
aAelon-one portion of each fol