Historic houses, landmarks & museums of New England & the Mid-Atlantic

Magazine Antiques, April, 2004

CONNECTICUT

COS COB/GREENWICH: Bush-Holley Historic Site, 39 Strickland Road, 06807. Circa 1730 National Historic Landmark, home of the first art colony in Connecticut, cradle of American Impressionism. Guided tours feature the Holley boarding house during the Cos Cob art colony, circa 1890-1920, and then step back in time to the Justus Bush household in the New Nation, 1790-1825, with furnished rooms and slave quarters, Changing exhibitions, visitor center, and museum shop and education center for groups. Tues-Sun, 12-4 (203) 869-6899; fax (203) 861-9720. www.hstg.org

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WILTON: Wilton Heritage Museum, 224 Danbury Road (Route 7), 06897. Tow 18th century houses with 14 newly refurbished period rooms furnished to show changes in family life, the economy and style from 1740-1910; featuring authentic period paint colors, handmade wallpapers, reproduction fabrics. Major collections of Norwalk redware, toys, dolls, doll houses, costumes, textiles, fully equipped textile-making room. A nineteenth century barn with major tool exhibit, "Tools of the Trades;" working blacksmith shop; changing exhibitions; gift shop. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Summer exhibit: "Folk Art on the Floor: hooked rugs and floor cloths." Call for Sunday openings and special events (203) 762-7257 Fax (203) 762-3297, www.wiltonhistorical.org

MAINE

BRUNSWICK: Pejepscot Historical Society, 159 Park Row, 04011. An astonishing "time capsule," this 17-room 1858 mansion was virtually sealed from 1925 until 1985. All belongings of three generations of a prominent local family remain. Glass, furnishings, ceramics. Also: Joshua Chamberlain Museum, hybrid Victorian home of Civil War hero/Maine Governor. June-mid October, Tues-Sat 10-3. Call for tour times. (207) 729-6606, fax (207) 729-6012. Email: pejepscot@suscom-maine.net. Website: www.curtislibrary.com/pejepscot.htm.> ELLSWORTH: Woodlawn Museum, Rte. 172 (Surry Road), 04605, is the splendid home of Col. John Black, pioneer of Maine's lumbering tradition. This historic 180-acre estate, including the federal styled house (1824-27), outbuildings, gardens, and public park, is a treasure. Within the house are furnishing and artwork (95% original) collected, used, and displayed by three generations of the family, as described by The Magazine ANTIQUES (January 2003). Located Near Acadia National Park, 1/2 mile from downtown Ellsworth, make sure to visit Woodlawn Museum on your next visit to Maine. May & October, Tues-Sun 1-4 p.m.; June-September, Tues-Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m. & Sun 1-4 p.m. For information on tours, hours, and special activities, call (207) 667-8671 or visit www.woodlawnmuseum.com

PORTLAND: Portland Museum of Art, Seven Congress Square, 04101. Discover three centuries of art and architecture. Explore the Museum's collection of fine and decorative arts from the 18th century to the present. Experience Main art by Homer, Hartley, and Wyeth. See European masters including Monet, Renoir & Picasso. Leam about 19th-century architecture in the newly restored Federal-era McLellan House. Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun: 10-5 p.m., Fri 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Open Mondays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Memorial Day-Columbus Day. (207) 775-6148, www.portlandmuseum.org

PORTLAND: Tate House Museum, 1270 Westbrook Street, 04104. 1755 Home of Main mast agent, Capt. George Tate. Unique Georgian architecture. Period furnishings. Historic herb gardens. Portland's only pre-Revolutionary historic house museum. National historical landmark since 1972. Property of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Maine. June-October Tuesday-Saturday 10-4; Sunday 1-4. Visit online: www.tatehouse.org

MARYLAND

BALTIMORE: The Evergreen House, 4545 North Charles Street, 21210. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Evergreen is a magnificent Italianate home on twenty-six wooded and landscaped acres. Highlights of the 48-room mansion include collections of post-Impressionist paintings, rare books, Japanese netsuke and inro, Tiffany glass, and Baltimore's only private theatre. Guided tours. Admission. Mon-Fri 10-4, Sat-Sun 1-4, (410) 516-0341. www.jmu.edu/historichouses.> BALTIMORE: The Homewood House Museum, 3400 N. Charles St., 21218. Homewood House is a National Historic Landmark and represents one of the finest restoration efforts in America. Given as a wedding gift by Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Homewood's beautifully proportioned exterior and superb interior architectural ornamentation exemplifies Federal restraint and classical inspiration. Guided tours. Admission. Tues-Sat 11-4, Sun 12-4. (410) 516-5589. www.jhu.edu/historichouses.> MASSACHUSETTS

CONCORD: Concord Museum, 200 Lexington Road, 01742; (978) 369-9609. "Where Concord's History Begins"--17th-19th century Concord furniture, silver, clocks; Revolutionary War artifacts; Thoreau's Walden possessions; Emerson's Study; period rooms; "Why Concord?" exhibition; "Exploring Concord" film; exhibition opening May 21st: "Visiting Thoreau's Walden." Museum Shop; group tours; collection catalogue. www.concordmuseum.org