TWIST ON TRADITION
Norristown Garden Club puts a new spin to 71st annual Holiday House Tour
NORRISTOWN » There’s a new twist for Norristown Garden Club’s Holiday House this year. For the 71st Annual Holiday House Tour, public buildings of historic significance, built in the 18th and 19th centuries, will replace private homes for the 2021 tour. These five fascinating and authentic historic public buildings are located along the equally historic Skippack Pike/Route 73 and each will be beautifully decorated in a manner appropriate for each site.
According to General Chair of the event, Caren Puschak, the tour will be held over two days — Thursday, December 9 and Friday, December 10 , and only in daylight hours (10 — 4), since the properties would not have had electricity in the era depicted during our tour,” said Puschak of East Norriton.
Norristown Garden Club will embellish the exteriors of all of the sites in a manner appropriate to the property for the holiday season. The staff and volunteers of Hope Lodge, Peter Wentz and Pennypacker Mills will present the interiors of those properties in keeping with the customs of the times they represent. They will also lead ticket holders on guided tours of the enticing first floors of each site.
Bethel Hill Church and the Highlands will be decorated— both inside and out — by the garden club, and will feature fresh flowers and greens and creative ideas. A bonus this year: an Emporium of hand-crafted items where you can ‘shop till you drop’ will be found at the Highlands.
Please see www.norristogardenclub.org for ticket information. Please note: Holiday House ticket requests must be received by December 2nd to allow for time to mail the tickets. There will be no tickets available at the door during the tour.
The stars of Norristown Garden Club’s 2021 Holiday House Tour tour, which benefits the club’s scholarship program and other community activities, are:
Hope Lodge (1748)
According to Kevin Horan, President, Friends of Hope Lodge, “The two time periods (colonial and colonial revival) depicted are the way the first and last private owners of the house styled and furnished the home. Iron
ically, the first owner, Samuel Morris 1748-1770 used vibrant colors but sparse furniture whereas William & Alice Degn (1922-1953) used black and white and upholstered furniture. During the Christmas holidays, the Degns would have decorated the house while Morris would not in observance of his Quaker religion which doesn’t celebrate Christmas. “
Hope Lodge is one of the finest surviving Georgianstyled mansions in Pennsylvania. Ticket holders will learn about the two time periods represented in the mansion as staff and volunteers lead them through the first floor of the property. —
The Highlands (1796)
It was built in 1794-1796 by Philadelphia merchant and politician Anthony Morris, and was designed by Philadelphia politician Timothy Matlack ). After a number of owners, it eventually was sold to Emily Sinkler Roosevelt in 1941. Roosevelt and her husband donated the property to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1957.
Today, the Highlands is a 44-acre site with a late 18thcentury Georgian mansion and formal gardens.
During the tour one of the spacious and elegant rooms will be set for a wedding dinner, complete with ‘sweetheart table’, decorated cake and vintage bridal gowns. (As per Ana Hartman, House chair — of North Wales. Nancy Sliner of Norristown serves as Co-Chair)
Another will feature a festive dinner celebration.
Barbara Grula, of Lansdale, noted that “the Christmas tree will have handmade decorations such as paper candles with Indian Paintbrush flames, as well as a fungi tree topper. The dining table will be set with holiday china, red goblets, gold eating utensils and a special centerpiece. Wreaths with gold painted oak leaves and red ribbon will enhance the windows.”
Judy Harp (East Norriton), reported that : “We are doing a Merry Birthday Child’s Party. The table will have a flower cake with candy canes. Place settings will be snowmen with snowball beverages and handmade crackers.”
Harp made a 5½ ft snowman with a sheet, smiling with a top hat. She also fashioned red and white stripped ties that will make the chairs look special for the party.
“A large tree branch afixed to a tree stand and sprayed with some white paint will be decorated with birds made from pine cones and feathers, gingerbread men, and candy canes. There will be presents covered with hand stenciled paper in an old wooden wagon and lots more, Harp said. “We hope it’s a fun surprise for everyone.”
“This venue will feature an Emporium to assist visitors with their holiday shopping, said Ana Hartman. “Some of the interesting items that will be for sale are: botanical prints, local honey, floral arrangements, hand-crafted jewelry and Christmas ornaments, stationery, and tiles, You can shop till you drop.”
Bethel Hill Church
Co-Chair of this site Diane Powell (Spring House), shares this information about Bethel Hill United Methodist Church (dedicated 1770; its original location is now the site of the Revolutionary War cemetery.
“Bethel Hill UMC has had a proud history since 1770,” Powell said. “On the Norristown Garden Club’s Holiday Tour, we will recognize that history. In the church you will see a beautiful fresh floral arrangement in honor of the unknown soldiers of the American Revolution who died in the original chapel (used as a hospital) after the battle of Germantown and are buried in the cemetery.
“We also celebrate the life of the church today. The tree, which is installed at the church’s “Festival of Greens,” is decorated with Chrismons. The Chrismons are made by the Sunday school children and used as a teaching tool. You can learn about these symbols of faith in a display at the rear of the church.”
Peter Wentz Farmstead
Built in 1758 — with many German influences and restored by Montgomery County to the 1777 era when it served as Washington’s headquarters during the Revolution, this site features authentic furnishings, original architecture, unique kitchen wall decoration, and a fascinating history.
Karen Nemeth (Lafayette Hill), Co-chair with Beth Bynon (East Norriton) tells this about the Peter Wentz Farmstead and their theme of ‘Homegrown Holiday.’
“The Peter Wentz Farmstead dates back to 1744,” Nemeth said. “On the days of the NGC tours visitors will be invited into the house by volunteers in period costume and they will be given a brief history of the homestead. Since houses were not decorated for Christmas during colonial times and there was a minimal amount of celebration, our team’s focus will be the farmstead’s outbuildings. Every farmhouse would have had a kitchen garden and we are using Wentz’s as the inspiration for our ‘Homegrown Holiday’ House. Team members were given permission to cut and gather flowers, herbs and a variety of other plants and gourds from the garden. We are in the process of drying what we gathered and will incorporate the materials into our designs. Burlap sacks will be filled with dried materials and displayed on the wooden fence surrounding the garden. Other outbuildings that will get our attention include a woodhouse, smokehouse, outhouse and icehouse. Look for some farm animals that will be created by several of our team members.”
Pennypacker Mills
Montgomery County administers this site, which is fully furnished with antiques owned by former PA Governor Samuel V. Pennypacker; docents will explain what it was like to live in the 1900s. It was built in 1720; redesigned in 1901 as the residence of a country gentleman. The dining room will be set for a holiday celebration and feature the elaborate and beautiful silver tea service, presented to Governor Pennypacker when he left office. On each piece is engraved the family coat of arms. The dining room was the setting for all the Pennypacker’s meals: breakfast, supper and dinner. For Christmas there is an elaborate centerpiece with a red cardinal. Taxidermy was popular for decorating as well as for ladies’ hats and elegant fur wraps.
The dining room table is set with the family’s fine china, silverware, and serving pieces. There is also a large tea service which was given to Samuel on his last day in office by his department heads as a legacy gift to hand down to his children. Each piece of the set, including knives, forks and spoons has the family’s coat of arms etched on it.
Front Door: “Welcome to Pennypacker Mills, home of Pennsylvania Governor Samuel Pennypacker and his family about one-hundred years ago. Approximately 95% of the items you will see on your tour belonged to the family. The holiday decorations are inspired by those of the early 1900’s when families would use anything they could to add sparkle and shine to the décor of their home since there was no electricity here then.