LIVERMORE — A cold, windy day didn’t prevent scores of families from experiencing what a 19th-century Christmas would have been like at the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center on Saturday.
Visitors made their way from room to room. Tour guides, in character, were ready to answer questions or talk about the various items on display.
In the Farmer’s Cottage, visitors were greeted by the smell of molasses as Elizabeth Chamberlain, playing caretaker Emerline Hilton, mixed up a batch of cookies. The “receipt” she used, as recipes were referred to then, was written on part of a brown paper bag.
An unnamed actress playing neighbor Mary Hewett was also busy in the cottage. She gave pointers to those who wanted to try their hand at writing with a feather dipped in ink.
Many guests enjoyed the Cookie Walk, supervised by Lucille Lavoie playing Hannah Coolidge and Renee Bonin as Miss Corrilla Rose. Tables decorated in green, red and white were laden with a delightful assortment of baked goods. Choosing which homemade cookies to take home was often a family affair. Proceeds from the walk supported the barn-raising fund.
The Washburn kitchen was abuzz with activity. Children could make several Christmas ornaments similar to those children from the late 1800s might have created.
At one table, Cheryl Tirrell as Aunt Lodie threaded needles for popcorn string garlands.
“I can’t stop — this is so much fun,” said attendee Emily Cotnoir as she speared another piece of popcorn with the needle.
Attendee Lilah Sturtevant was busily making a felt Christmas tree ornament. Other visitors threaded yarn around sticks of wood to create stars.
Carole Works, playing Aunt Sarah, helped Noah Sparling make a Christmas tree using sheet music, a thin dowel attached to a wooden block and self-adhesive stars. Some children took home paper dolls of Santa and Mrs. Claus and their clothing.
Mary Castonguay, in character as Mary Morse, cheerfully handed out cider to adults waiting for their children to finish.
“I do this every year,” Castonguay said. “I’m on the board of trustees. I live just down the road and my parents were volunteers. I love the Norlands.”
President Carolyn Lawson stood near the door to the Washburn Mansion portraying Annette Fuller. A brisk wind blew across the porch as she greeted visitors and shared a few simple rules.
“We want the kids to have a good time, but some of the artifacts are 150 years old and fragile,” Lawson said.
She said the mansion was built in 1867. The Washburn sons built it for their elderly father. The silver and china in the dining room and the door into the mansion are all monogrammed with the letter “W.”
Lawson said the property was originally owned by Hannibal Hamlin’s father. He sold the property to Israel Washburn in 1810.
The Norlands was named after a line in the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, “The Ballad of Oriana,” she said.
The line reads, “And strong the Norlands blow,” Lawson said.
The dining room table was set for a festive holiday meal. A large epergne in the center held fruit. A tree stood at one end of the room.
A Keeping Christmas brochure, handed out to guests, spoke of the traditions of that time. Gifts weren’t wrapped, but were hung on the tree for everyone to see.
Those that wished could stop at the school nearby. There, they learned about how reading, mental arithmetic and penmanship were taught.
pharnden@sunmediagroup.net
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