Hearthside - The House That Love Built

HEARTHSIDE EVENTS

View the 2009 Events Calendar

Hearthside is the site of many different types of events throughout the year, which have a specific historical theme. Such events include Afternoon TeasEarly American Crafts demonstrations, and Victorian Christmas Open House. Hearthside has also been the host for a Civil War Re-enactment on the neighboring Chase Farm property and served as a field hospital. See what some of our past events have been like, and be sure to watch the website for announcements of upcoming events.

Victorian Christmas Open House

Hearthside HostsHearthside is a popular site each December . Volunteers spend weeks decorating each room to transform the mansion back to a turn-of-the-century Christmas. Visitors to Hearthside delight in the magic of a traditional Victorian Christmas as they enter the house and are greeted by our volunteers dressed in Victorian finery. Each of Hearthside's 10 rooms is elaborately decorated with Victorian ornamentation of lace and gold, festive garlands, and countless poinsettias and many special personal touches brought in by the volunteers from their own holiday collections. The amber glow of candlelight and the white lights of the gaily decorated trees add to the warmth of this beautiful home. The festive atmosphere is enhanced with live seasonal music, homemade cookies, and a gift shop stocked with holiday gifts.  Click HERE for Photos!


Festival of Early American Trades

Hanaway Blacksmith ShopDemonstrations of forgotten crafts along with the aroma of home-made apple crisp takes place in the fall at Hearthside. Held in October, visitors watch as craftspeople, dressed in period clothing, demonstrate quilting, basket making, spinning, embroidery, stained glass, use of herbs, gravestone etching, stenciling, rug hooking, and blacksmithing. A country stand provides hot cider on a crisp fall day, along with home-made apple crisp, apple pies, and breads. Demonstrations take place throughout the house as well as outdoors. Neighboring properties provided an opportunity for visitors to tour other significant historic sites, such as the Friends Meeting House, Eleazer Arnold House, and the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop. Click HERE for Photos!

Afternoon Teas

It's a return to the gentle splendor of a bygone era at Hearthside, with spring flowers, elegant hats, delicate lace, dainty teacups and fancy finger foods as Friends of Hearthside hosts its annual Traditional Afternoon Tea at the end of April or early May each year. This event has become our most popular one, and always sells out so early ticket purchase is recommended.  A theme is featured each year, such as "the history of hats, the language of the fan, the language of flowers, the history of the parasol, etc.  Guests may be eligible for prizes for their hats and magnificent raffle baskets are also available. 

Tea has also become popular with the younger generation so Hearthside holds a special tea for girls and their dolls. The American Girl Doll Tea provides a wonderful opportunity for young girls to bring their American Girl dolls, sometimes even dressed in the matching outfits, to an elegant tea at Hearthside. They learn the social graces of afternoon tea, just as young girls would during the 19 th century. Like the adult tea, there are raffle baskets and shopping in the gift shop as part of the event. The American Girl Doll Tea is held a week before the Afternoon Tea, usually in late April or early May. Because of the popularity of this event, two seatings are offered.

Tickets for both Teas must be purchased in advance by calling Hearthside at 401.726-0597.  Shopping at the Hearthside Gift Shop is always a treat where you can find lovely little luxuries at affordable prices, perfect for Mother's Day.  Click here for photos.

Civil War Re-enactment – Battle at Chase Farm and Field Hospital at Hearthside

Civil War Re-enactmentThe cannons thundered through the air, uniformed soldiers charged at each other while firing their guns, and in the end, bloodied bodies were littered among the countryside “battlefields” of Chase Farm Park . This was the recurring theme during the Civil War Re-enactment held in Lincoln every two years for the past 20 years.

Hearthside has been used as part of the re-enactment in recent years and turned into a field hospital by the soldiers. Staffed by actual military medics, Hearthside was transformed from its beautiful, serene presence along Great Road to become the chaotic scene of men screaming in agonizing pain, blood spilling forth from the never-ending stream of “surgeries and amputations,” and women trying to calm and soothe the wounded soldiers.

This signature event for Hearthside typically brings in over 3,000 visitors to the house, with some 400 re-enactors from all over New England participating in this living history event. The next scheduled Civil War Re-enactment will take place on September 12-13, 2009 . Click HERE for Photos!

Spirited Evenings at Hearthside

Everyone who visits an old house invariably asks the question “Is the house haunted?” Some have hinted that they have experienced strange feelings in one room or another, or heard noises while in the house alone. Since there has been such interest in exploring this question and learning more about the “other side,” we decided to invite a well known medium to visit Hearthside. On a cold, rainy February night in 2003, Carole Lynne, one of the most popular psychic mediums in New England, conducted a demonstration before a sold-out audience.  Learn more!

Open House

Frequent Open Houses at Hearthside often include an opportunity for visitors to also experience other historic properties along Great Road. These Arnold Houseopportunities allow visitors to travel back in time from 1687 at the Eleazer Arnold House, to 1694 at the Valentine Whitman House, 1703 Quaker Meeting House, to 1810 at Hearthside, and 1895 at the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, where live blacksmith demonstrations take place. While the Open Houses are free to the public, donations are welcomed.

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