Great House Museum Tour

Old May 29th, 1998, 03:33 AM
  #1  
Marty
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Great House Museum Tour

My wife and I have traveled the USA from coast to coast touring house museums. We have seen a lot of the famous ones, including Hearst Castle and the Winchester Mystery House in California and the Mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. We have found that a lot of places have great house museums that are less well known. Do you know of a great house museum in your area? Please let us know something about it. Thanks! P.S. If you want information on the great places we have seen, please E-Mail us.
 
Old May 29th, 1998, 05:42 AM
  #2  
Ben
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If you havent already been, you should check out Hildene in Manchester, VT. It was the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln. Many Lincoln family possesions are on display. There are also beautiful gardens, and in the winter, there is cross-country skiing on Hildene's grounds. It is located on Route 7A just south of Manchester. If you want more info you can call (802) 362-1788. My mother (and I do occasionally) volunteers there--it's a real beautiful place!
 
Old Jun 1st, 1998, 07:40 AM
  #3  
Neal Sanders
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The Washington D.C. is fairly stiff with tour houses, but here are a few of the better (and lesser-known) ones: 1) The Robert E. Lee home. Lee actually has three homes in the area (the other two are in Alexandria), but this is the one he built in the 1850s. It sits in the middle of Arlington National Cemetery and is the building you see high up on the hill. It has been meticulously restored. Free. 2) Woodlawn Plantation and the Pope-Leighy House. This is a two-fer... Woodlawn Plantation is three miles west of Mount Vernon and 15 miles south of Washington D.C. The house was built in the 1830s by a (niece? nephew?) of Martha Custis Washington. It has been well-restored and was occupied by one family for about 10 generations. On the same grounds as Woodlawn Plantation is the Pope-Leighy house, a Frank Lloyd Wright "usonian" house from the 1940s. Don't confuse this place with Fallingwater (another must-see); this was Wright's concept for post-war housing. The house was one of about 200 built and was moved to the present location from Falls Church, VA. It packs a lot into 1200 square feet. The docents are very knowledgable. 3) Glen Burnie in Winchester, VA. This is a circa 1780 Georgian house that was just opened to tours last year. The house has been continuously occupied by descendants of the builder. What's notable about Glen Burnie are the gardens -- five or six "themed" gardens built by the current generation over the past 30 years. 4) Hillwood in Washington DC. Hillwood is closed until early 1999, but mark your calendars for the re-opening. This was the home of Marjorie Meriweather Post of Post cereals fame. The house is so-so (big, 1950s construction), but it's what's inside that counts: a treasure trove of Russian objets d'art. One of Mrs. Post's several husbands was ambassador to the Soviet Union during the 1930s, and she bought up stuff -- literally -- by the barrel. The collection is priceless; the house is open only by appointment (a week in advance usually does it).
 
Old Jun 21st, 1998, 05:54 PM
  #4  
Sandra
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In Sarasota Florida, you can visit the Ringling (of circus fame) house and museum. The museum resembles a Venetian palace. It is a pleasant walk thru the gardens to the house and the view of the gulf is quite attractive.
 
Old Aug 15th, 1998, 12:54 PM
  #5  
Marty
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Thanks to everyone who posted replies. I have created a web page to list House Museums on the Web. The address is http://www.bcpl.net/~mcohn/1housemu.htm. Hopefully, your favorite House Museum is listed. If not, please tell me and I will add it to the list. Thanks!
 

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