Bygone Days celebrated at Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan House
By Shelagh Talbot
GREENVILLE — The Moosehead Historical Society celebrates another summer by offering tours of the Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan House. The theme this year is Bygone Days, a theme aptly focused on the items householders used every day, featuring various textiles and artifacts. As I was folding some of my own “wrinkle resistant, made-in China” summer clothes it struck me how much attention and time went into not only the making, but also the caring for clothing from a century or more ago. We are so fortunate here in Greenville. Our historical society has some of the finest examples of early textiles and clothing anywhere and this year’s exhibit shines a light on some extraordinary examples.
For starters, in the foyer a model sits at the telephone table wearing a lovely red silk dress. In those days, receiving or making a call was a big deal. In fact the phone in the foyer is relatively modern — it has a dial — older phones were just picked up, cranked a few times and an operator would magically appear on the line with “number please?” Long distance phone calls could take up to an hour to connect and party lines were all the rage. They were most likely the precursor to the gossip magazine. Everyone had their own combination of rings and on many occasions, those that shared the line would surreptitiously listen in. There was no party line at the Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan house.
In the living room, with a theme of tea parties, there are tea sets for a child’s party as well as an adult party. Floating on one of the child mannequins is a delicate white dress that belonged to one of the town’s most beloved persons — Etta Hubbard. Nearby an adult mannequin wears a magnificent dress made of a white gauzy material adorned with pale pink flowers and green leaves. The long full skirt is ruffled at the bottom and designed to be worn over numerous petticoats or a hoop. According to notes, the dress belonged to Lydia Scammon Bigney and may have been her wedding dress. That would make it almost 200 years old as she was married in 1847. Considering its age and the delicacy of the fabric, it is one of the finest dresses on display this season.
The dining room is set with Rebecca Craft’s wedding china and linens. Take a close look at the exquisite lace tablecloth — all painstakingly made by hand. Imagine the hours and hours is must have taken to complete. Craft was rightly proud to have it gracing her table.
Arlene Jewett generously made the lovely curtains in the sun porch. You can see a photo of her on a special desk in the corner. The desk came from Maine’s House of Representatives courtesy of Sharon Libby Jones who faithfully served the people in this district for a number of years. Interestingly, Arthur Crafts had also been a member of Maine’s legislature. The sun porch has an open airy feeling — a soft silk rug covering a portion of the floor and plants and wicker furniture completing the decor. It is easy to imagine the family gathering there on lazy summer afternoons to enjoy the views and take tea or some summer libation.
Upstairs the bedrooms are all decorated with their own themes, as has been done in past years. Julia Sheridan’s room features “Bygone Fashions” — dresses belonging to Rebecca Crafts, Julia Sheridan and Betsy Eveleth. The centerpiece of the collection is Crafts’ wedding dress, which rests on one of the twin beds in the room. A photograph of the bride wearing it on her wedding day in 1889 is nearby. The dress, made of the finest creamy silk, is encrusted with pearls of all sizes. Sheridan wore the skirt for her own wedding, and augmented it with a more modern blouse and veil from 1923, displayed on the bed next to Crafts’. Other items, including delicate hand-painted fans and Victorian purses are displayed in the closet.
The guest room features “Aprons through the Decades.” The amount of care and attention to detail on even the simplest of aprons is unbelievable and again harkens back to a time with each piece of clothing was something special, something treasured, and something to be carefully taken care of. This was even true of aprons, which were meant to protect the clothing underneath. The oldest apron in the collection, from the early 1800s is satin and sports a lavish velvet trim. Each apron is different, each in its own way a masterpiece of needle art — cross stitch, embroidery, cut-work and ruffles — not to mention some of the delicate fabrics they were made from.
The master bedroom is called “Gentleman’s Domain” for this exhibit year. The bed is covered with heavy lap blankets, used when out in a carriage or sleigh to keep warm. Gentlemen’s attire is also displayed including a heavy coat with fur collar, a remarkable silk smoking jacket draped on the bed, and a pair of boots made from the knees of a Caribou. In those early days, Caribou were common to the Moosehead region.
In one of the closets you can see, in addition to the heavy winter coat, a stunning black tuxedo with tails and the requisite striped pants. Hanging on the wall is a unique item — a patented money pouch that Arthur Crafts would strap to his leg underneath his trousers, when carrying large amounts of money for his business.
Oliver’s Room has a playful theme this year, “What are Little Boys’ Made Of?” Toys and games from the 1930s to the 1950s are featured along with nightclothes, vintage Cub Scout items and a dress outfit for a young man — featuring a linen jacket and short pants.
This year’s tour is well worth taking — because a number of items are on display for the first time. One comes away with a feeling of respect and understanding, especially in these “throw-away” times of how folks would lovingly care for their garments and personal items for years and years, thus preserving them for us to enjoy today.
The docent-guided tours take place on Wednesday through Friday from 1-4 p.m., or by prior arrangement. You can linger or go through the rooms at a faster pace — whatever time you are able to spare — and it is certainly time well spent! For more information, contact the Moosehead Historical Society at 444 Pritham Avenue. in Greenville Jct. The Carriage House, which also contains the Lumberman’s Museum downstairs, is open Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Don’t forget to check out the school room exhibit and general store exhibit in the barn. Call 695-2909 for more information or email mooseheadhistory@myfairpoint.net.