By Carol FeingoldCorrespondent
Step back in time and enjoy a "Summer Tea in a Victorian Garden" in the garden of The John Greenleaf Whittier Home, 86 Friend St., Amesbury. Set in the historic garden on Thursday, July 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. the Summer Tea is a time to relax, sip tea, enjoy good food, listen to live music, and settle in to the Victorian period.
"The garden still has many of the plants in it that where here when Whittier was here," WHA President Chris Bryant said, "the grape arbor and many of the herbs. We try to keep up the plantings of heirloom quality."
Born in Haverhill on Dec. 17, 1807, John Greenleaf Whittier spent his early years living on a working farm with his parents, two sisters, a brother, a maternal aunt and paternal uncle. Whittier and his family mother Abigail, sister Elizabeth and Aunt Mercy moved to Amesbury in 1836, into a three-room cottage across the street from the Quaker Meeting House.
From 1836 until his death in 1892, Whittier lived and wrote most of his poetry and prose here in his Amesbury home. Built circa 1829, this classic New England farmhouse retains the decor and structure of the home as Whittier and his family knew it during the mid- and late 1800s.
"Enjoy tea or lemonade served at your table and a buffet of tea sandwiches and luscious sweet treats lovingly made by Whittier Home Association volunteers," Bryant said, "but what really makes it a Victorian tea is that everyone is encourage to dress up in flowery dresses and big floppy hats. Gentlemen may wear boaters, and young ladies and young gentlemen are welcome.
"The tea is served in bone china teacups, which were contributed by many, many people over the years. Its a delightful hodgepodge of teacups, saucers and teapots, all set on linen tablecloths with cloth napkins, china plates and silver teaspoons. Its an indulgent afternoon of relaxation, good food, and good friends."
While diners may feel as if they are at a Victorian summer tea, attention is paid to 21st century tastes with gluten-free and vegetarian options. Not only is the quantity of the food unlimited, but there will even be baggies available to take home leftovers.
"We will have raffle prizes donated by members, including baskets of items designed to pamper, and books by Whittier and local authors," Bryant said. "All this would not be possible without the extreme talent and gracious hospitality of (WHA member) Rosey Werner and the many Whittier Home volunteers."
Following the tea, guests will be able to take mini-tours of the home, which serves as a National Historic Landmark and tribute to the Quaker poet and the anti-slavery champion, who made outstanding contributions to the life and literature of this country.
Known as The Quaker Poet, The Slave Poet and The Fireside Poet, Whittier wrote from the time he was a child until the close of his life in 1892.
His first published work occurred in his youth when his sister, Mary Whittier, sent his poem "The Exiles Departure" to William Garrison, publisher of The Free Press. Garrison thereafter published a Whittier poem every week in this newspaper. The cause of Negro emancipation stirred and deepened Whittiers whole nature. His poetry was prolific during this time. Slave poems and many of Whittiers political poems remain to this day powerful, intense and very stirring.
By the end of the Civil War all the women of his family had died, leaving Whittier lonely and alone in his Amesbury house. It is from his personal grief, coupled with the nations grief that he wrote his masterpiece, "Snowbound." An exhausted war-weary nation embraced the poem and Whittier, once the Abolitionist outcast, became a hero.
"Snowbound," a poem about memory of family and of a heartfelt time that had gone by, was written with such clarity that you feel and know that you too were sitting around that fire, warm and safe, while the winter storm raged outside. It was the first time in his life Whittier received national recognition for his work as a poet accompanied by a substantial amount of money.
Since its founding in 1898, the Whittier Home Association has served assteward for the preservation of collections, structures, and grounds of the John GreenleafWhittier Museum in Amesbury.
As a non-profit, educational organization, WHA strives to engage diverse audiences in the life story of Whittier in his roles as a Quaker, a writer, and an abolitionist by providing access to his home, collections, and archival material, complemented with public programs, exhibits, and publications.
For more information about the WHA and visiting The John Greenleaf Whittier Home, go to
http://whittierhome.org or call 978-388-1337.
FYI
WHAT: Summer Tea in a Victorian Garden
WHEN: Thursday, July 20, from 2 to 4pm (Rain Date July 21)
WHERE: The John Greenleaf Whittier Home, 86 Friend Street, Amesbury
INFO: Call 978-388-1337 to make reservations, or email to chrisbryant1@comcast.net.
COST: $20 per person (or complimentary with your 2016 sponsorship donation to the WHA)
More:
Victorian tea party at Whittier Home in Amesbury July 20 - Wicked Local Newburyport