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Heirloom Hallowe’en Exhibit Lecture with Curator Kaitlyn Lennox

October 22 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Heirloom Hallowe’en

Step into the history of Halloween with Heirloom Hallowe’en, a traveling exhibit exploring the traditions, customs, and objects that shaped the holiday as we know it today. Drawing from a collection of rare and unusual Halloween artifacts, the lecture explores the origins and evolution of familiar traditions, from jack o lanterns and apple divination to Victorian Halloween celebrations and the elaborate decorations of the past.

Featuring stories behind the objects themselves, Heirloom Hallowe’en offers a closer look at the folklore, social customs, and changing ways Americans have celebrated Halloween over the years. The presentation will conclude with a question and answer session, followed by an opportunity to explore the exhibit after hours and take a closer look at the collection.

About the Presenter

Kaitlyn Lennox is a Halloween history enthusiast, collector, and creator of Heirloom Hallowe’en, a traveling exhibit featuring rare and unusual Halloween objects. Her love of Halloween began in childhood, growing up in suburban Northern New Jersey. As a child, she purchased her first antique Halloween postcard, an experience that sparked her interest in the history of the holiday and the stories behind its traditions and objects.

Kaitlyn works in higher education communications and holds an undergraduate degree in Pastry Arts and Design from the Culinary Institute of America and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercy University. Her passion for research, history, and collecting has grown over years of researching and collecting antique Halloween items and exploring the origins of the customs, traditions, folklore, and objects associated with Halloween. She resides in coastal Connecticut with her husband, Matt, and their two house cats.

Tickets available at:

https://www.simpletix.com/e/heirloom-hallowe-en-lecture-with-curator-k-tickets-295060

Woodman Museum members $11.63/ Non members $22.13

 

Organizer

  • Woodman Museum
  • Email development@woodmanmuseum.org

Venue

  • Woodman Museum
  • 182 Central Ave.,
    Dover, NH 03820 United States
    + Google Map
  • Phone 6037427680

Organizer

  • Woodman Museum
  • Email development@woodmanmuseum.org

Venue

  • Woodman Museum
  • 182 Central Ave.,
    Dover, NH 03820 United States
    + Google Map
  • Phone 6037427680

Hale House Continued...

Born in nearby Rochester NH, John Parker Hale is best known as the first avowed Abolitionist Senator in the United States. It is an odd irony that, in the two decades Hale was in the Senate, Dover profited from the manufacture of cotton products that were produced by Southern slave labor. Living in William’s own house, Hale took a solid stand against slavery - a position that earned him enmity from Southern leaders, even a death threat on the Senate floor from a colleague. It also earned Hale a statue in 1892 on the lawn of the state capitol in Concord, NH, where his figure now stands with Daniel Webster, President Franklin Pierce and John Stark.

Today, the collections throughout two of the three floors of the Hale House are arranged into galleries displaying Hale Family artifacts, local and regional history, New England period furniture, fine and decorative arts and more.

Woodman House Continued...

The younger Charles Woodman inherited the estate from his mother. A successful financier and manager of the Strafford Savings Bank, he resided here throughout his life. He married twice: his first wife, Hannah (Coffin) Woodman, died in 1854 and in 1856 he married Annie (Allen) Woodman. When she died in January 1915, Annie Woodman left the sum of $100,000 “for the establishment …of an institution for the promotion of education in science and art and the increase and dissemination of general and especially historical knowledge.” The trustees of the estate acquired the Woodman house and the adjoining Hale House, which by chance came on the market that same year. The renovation of the interior was directed by local architect J. Edward Richardson, and the Institute opened in July, 1916.

Today, the collections throughout the three floors of the Woodman House are arranged into galleries displaying natural science (mounted specimens, rocks and minerals, fossils, seashells), Native American culture, military history, “childhood” history (schools, Scouting, toys, games and dolls), seasonal themed exhibits and more.

Damm Garrison House Continued...

In 1915, Col. Daniel Hall (the founding Head Trustee of the Woodman Museum) had an interview with Mrs. Rounds and broached the matter of having the garrison and its contents removed to the grounds of the Woodman Museum. The proposition proved to be acceptable to her; in due time she made a formal gift of the Damm garrison to the Museum. Daniel Chesley was entrusted with the task of removing the house to its new home; it took him one week, using wooden rollers and a horse, to move the garrison to the grounds. Local architect J. Edward Richardson directed the construction of the protective outer “colonnade” building that surronds and protects the garrison currently.

Today, the collections throughout the two floors of the William Damm Garrison House are arranged into galleries displaying local Colonial and Early American history.

Keefe House & Carriage Barn Continued...

Today, the first floor of the Keefe House (the Thom Hindle Gallery) features rotating artist and artisan exhibitions throughout the year. The second floor of the Keefe House (the Robert Whitehouse Library) serves as administrative offices and a climate controlled archive. The attached two story Carriage Barn houses local and regional transportation, trades, farm, and household collections.

Keefe House & Carriage Barn Continued...

Today, the first floor of the Keefe House (the Thom Hindle Gallery) features rotating artist and artisan exhibitions throughout the year. The second floor of the Keefe House (the Robert Whitehouse Library) serves as administrative offices and a climate controlled archive. The attached two story Carriage Barn houses local and regional transportation, trades, farm, and household collections.