Hearthside - The House That Love Built

1906 MOURNING DRESSES DONATED TO HEARTHSIDE

Two black dresses are the newest additions to Hearthside’s collection of vintage clothing. The mourning dresses, worn in 1906, were donated by Mrs. Helen Beaven Puleo of Lincoln. They were made for Mrs. Puleo’s godmothers, Mary Augusta and Helena Chace, when their mother, Martha Ann Pendleton Chace, died in 1906. Helen Puleo was named for the two godmothers, who were also her mother’s cousins. The beautifully embroidered dresses are made of wool and silk and were sewn at an exclusive dress shop located in Wayland Square in Providence

In later years, at the age of 42, Mary Augusta Chace married Fred Lincoln Sayles of Pascoag. He owned the F.L. Sayles mill there. F. L. Sayles was a cousin to Frederick Clark Sayles, who ran the Sayles Bleachery in Lincoln and lived at Hearthside until 1906. Sayles also served as mayor of Pawtucket.

The dresses had been stored in a trunk in Mrs. Puleo’s attic since 1937, and had been used over the years as “dress up” clothes for masquerade parties and play. The dresses are now on display for public viewing at Hearthside.

Mourning Dress
Mrs. Puleo and mourning dress

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