Women's History Month at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum March 8, 2008

This March, experience the lives of women long before the women’s rights movement swept the nation. In honor of Women’s History Month, the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield will offer special tours, programs and performances that offer a glimpse into the customs, responsibilities and hardships of women during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
Women’s History Month activities at the museum include:
“Ladies of the Houses” Museum Tours – March 8 and 22
On March 8, the Webb-Deane-Stevens staff will conduct a tour that highlights the women who lived in the houses during the 18th century. Pieces from the museum’s textile collection will also be showcased.
Travel back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries during a tour on March 22, and learn about the women who lived in the three houses during this time period, as well as how the homes became a museum under the care of the Colonial Dames.
The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, with the last tour leaving at 3 p.m.
Cost: Three-house tours cost $8 for adults, $7 for seniors over 60, AAA members and those active in the military and $4 for students and children ages 5 to 18. $20 per family (two adults and children).
Knitting Workshop – March 8 and 22
Historian and museum staff member Linda Pagliuco will conduct a two-day knitting workshop on March 8 and 22 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Participants will make an 1830s shawl based on a pattern from the 19th-century sewing manual The Workwoman’s Guide. Each participant should have basic knowledge of the knit/purl stitch.
Cost: $25. Includes instructions, light refreshments and a tour of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum that focuses on the museum’s textile collection. Reservations are required as space is limited to 20 people. A list of supplies will be provided upon registration.
“Victorian Lady” Performance – March 22
The museum’s Women’s History Month celebration ends on March 22 with a performance by Kandie Carle, better known as “The Victorian Lady,” at 2 p.m.
Kandie Carle has worked since 1980 as an actress, dancer and singer in theaters throughout the United States and abroad. She began touring with her one-woman show “The Victorian Lady” in 1996. During the show, Carle takes her audience on a journey to the 19th and 20h centuries using a vast collection of authentic Victorian and Edwardian clothing and accessories. Throughout the interactive presentation, she blends humor with history as she shares intriguing anecdotes and insight into the clothing, lifestyles, manners, etiquette and customs of men, women and children.
Cost: $20 per person. Price includes a tour of the museum and light refreshments. Reservations are required. Space is limited.
For more information on these programs, please visit www.webb-deane-stevens.org or call Lisa Sillitto at (860) 529-0612, ext. 12. Please call Lisa Sillitto or e-mail her at lsillitto@webb-deane-stevens.org to make reservations.

Official Website: http://www.webb-deane-stevens.org