THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610080497
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARCIA MANGUM, HOME & GARDEN EDITOR
LENGTH: 124 lines
NEED INSTRUCTIONS on the proper Victorian way to clean cobwebs or quiet a crying baby?
The housemaid at the Hunter House Victorian Museum can tell you that a dusting brush made of long feathers, or a goose's wing, is good for removing cobwebs.
And the nanny will tell you that it's not a good idea to use laudanum on the baby's bottle nipple, because even though the opium preparation encouraged the baby to sleep through feedings, an overdose could be lethal.
``It was quite often done, and it makes for a nice evening, but it probably is not a good idea,'' says Margaret Elinsky, director of the Hunter House.
Such domestic tidbits will be dispensed during the ``Up Before the Lark'' servants tour of the Hunter House this coming weekend. That tour is part of the Hunter House's ``Royal Victorian Weekend,'' a threeday celebration of the Victorian heritage of Norfolk's Freemason Historic District.
Events range from a picnic in Elmwood Cemetery and readings of Edgar Allan Poe to a doll carriage parade and Mad Hatter tea party for young girls.
``Up Before the Lark'' is a themed tour through the Hunter House, focusing on servant life. Visitors will see costumed actors speaking in first-person.
A guide will take visitors through the house where they will encounter a cook, butler, housekeeper, nanny, lady's maid and parlor maid. All will be talking about and going about their daily routines.
``The housekeeper will be dealing with a newly promoted parlor maid who came up from the scullery and no longer is going to be peeling potatoes and scrubbing pots,'' Elinsky said. ``She gives instructions on dusting and mopping and cleaning cobwebs and keeping uniforms neat in a very authoritative way. The parlor maid is probably going to wish she were back in the kitchen.''
Elinsky said museum researchers culled a wealth of information on etiquette and training required of Victorian-era servants.
If your interests in the Victorian years relate primarily to the architecture, there are two offerings.
For the adventurous, scavenger hunts and self-guided walking tours will be offered Friday, Saturday and Sunday. To explore the ``Mysteries of Freemason,'' go to the Hunter House and get a scavenger hunt list that will direct you through the historic Freemason area in search of answers to about 30 architecturally related questions.
``You'll look for architectural clues,'' Elinsky says. ``Things such as `What low-fat snack can you see in the fence?' It's multiple choice - you don't have to be an architectural historian to find these answers.
``If there's a question asking what kind of molding runs along the roof line of McCullough Row, the choices might be: egg and dart; egg and bacon; or egg and sausage. I think they'd get it.''
Even if you don't, the hunt compels you to take a good look at the district. ``It gives you a chance to look up and down and around and maybe see some things you haven't seen before,'' Elinsky said.
The mysteries tour takes about 40 minutes, but passes several artists' shops, antiques stores and a used-book shop that may invite a visit. ``Or they may want to stop at Thyme Square and pick up a sandwich, after all the eggs and bacon and pretzels we suggest'' with the clues, Elinsky said.
Once back at the Hunter House, participants who turn in their scavenger hunt list will receive a prize.
If you'd rather have a guide point out the historical and architectural highlights, you can take the ``Walk Around the Block'' at 11 a.m. Saturday. It begins at the Hunter House and goes throughout the Freemason District, with a guide to tell why and when the area was started, how it became populated and what the folks who lived there in the early years were like, Elinsky said.
Freemason is considered the first residential neighborhood in Norfolk. Dr. William Boswell Selden built his country home on the Elizabeth River in 1807. Development followed up until the Civil War. ``Then no one had any money to build until around the 1880s, and then there was another big boom,'' Elinsky said. ``That's when the Hunter House was built, and the Queen Anne and Romanesque columns were introduced.''
The last house for historical purposes was built in the district in 1902. ``The neighborhood was filled, and they had to cross the Hague to Ghent and West Ghent,'' she said.
The guided tour ends with lunch at Freemason Abbey restaurant.
The Freemason Historic District offers walking tours throughout the year, but this is the first time the museum has attempted a weekend of events. If people are receptive to spending time in the neighborhood - walking, shopping, dining and exploring - the museum may try a Christmas weekend in the future, Elinsky said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
HUNTER HOUSE VICTORIAN MUSEUM
Graphic
ROYAL VICTORIAN WEEKEND
Friday
The Mysteries of Freemason - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting at the
Hunter House Victorian Museum, 240 W. Freemason St., Norfolk.
Scavenger hunt through Freemason Historic District. Pick up list at
museum and report back to win a prize. Cost: $3.
Garden Tea - 1 p.m. at Hunter House Garden. Cost: $3.
An Evening of Music - 7:30 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist
Church. Tidewater Brass Ensemble presents Sousa, Cohan and other
Victorian favorites. Cost: $3.
Saturday
Doll Carriage Parade - 10 a.m. at Hunter House Garden. Dress doll
and decorate carriage for parade along Freemason Street followed by
a garden party. Children ages 4 to 8. Cost: $3.
Mad Hatter Tea Party - 11 a.m. at Hunter House Garden. Don a hat
for garden party. Children age 8 and older. $5.
A Walk Around the Block - 11 a.m. starting at Hunter House.
Guided walking tour of Freemason Historic District, ending with
luncheon at Freemason Abbey. Cost: $10.
Elmwood Preservation Picnic - 11 a.m. in Elmwood Cemetery on
Princess Anne Road between Monticello Avenue and Church Street.
Guided tour examining funerary art and Victorian customs of death
followed by picnic lunch. Cost: $10.
Come Live With Me and Be My Love - 2 and 4:30 p.m. at Hunter
House. See Victorian wedding preparations. Cost: $3
Up Before the Lark - 3 p.m. at Hunter House. Encounter servants
as they go about their duties. Cost: $3.
The Mysteries of Freemason - 3 to 6 p.m., starting at Hunter
House. (See Friday listing for details.)
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary - 7 and 8 p.m. at Hunter House. Hear
storytellers read Edgar Allan Poe throughout the house, followed by
``spirited'' treats in the garden. Cost: $5.
Next Sunday
The Mysteries of Freemason - noon to 3 p.m., starting at Hunter
House. (See Friday listing for details.)
Spirited Afternoon - 1 p.m. in Elmwood Cemetery. Guided tour
examining funerary art and Victorian customs. Cost: $3. by CNB