Slifer House
Christmas at Slifer House Museum
December 7, 2007
Officials at the Slifer House Museum cordially invite you to view a Victorian Christmas, as expressed at the Museum. Normal touring hours are Tuesdays through Sundays, 1-4 p.m. However, pre-arranged appointments may be made by calling the Museum office at (570) 524-2245.
Each guest of Slifer House is greeted by a magnificent twelve-foot tree donated by Joyce and Michael Wilson of Lewisburg. The tree is adorned with fragile 19th century hand-blown glass ornaments and a number of vintage ‘scrap’ ornaments. These ornaments are constructed of highly-colorful lithographed decals embellished with tinsel and crepe paper. Small candles are clipped on the edge of branches. During the Victorian time, the candles would be lighted briefly on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, with a bucket of water nearby. The tree is accented with a putz village underneath depicting the city and the country. The dollhouse of the Keister sisters of Lewisburg, circa 1890, depicts a courthouse or a similar public building. The country farmhouses, barn, and grist mill constructed by the Snyder family of Milton and Mazeppa, are also on display.
The Slifer dining room is particularly elegant. A garland of greenery and white roses tents the dining room table. The garland is suspended from the gas chandelier. This treatment is based on an 1882 illustration from Harper’s Bazar.
During the Christmas season, the museum is providing a rare opportunity for visitors to view approximately forty figures which depict the Humpty Dumpty Circus produced by the Schoenhut Company of Philadelphia. These figures are highly sought by toy collectors throughout the world. The circus is on loan for the month of December and is from the private collection of Bea and Doug Parker of Lewisburg.
The Humpty Dumpty Circus was first introduced by the Schoenhut Company in 1903, modestly consisting of a chair, a ladder, and a clown. As its popularity grew, however, advertisements urged the potential customer that “You can start with a small circus and gradually add to it.” Only six years later, there were thirty-seven animals, twenty-nine people, a tent, parade wagons, hoops, whips, a tight-rope, and forty other accessories available for purchase!
The animals, human figures, and many of the accessories are made primarily of wood and painted with enamel colors. Both animals and human figures are ball-jointed, strung with elastic and constructed for maneuverability of action. Albert Schoenhut immigrated to America in 1865. Schoenhut family members were wood carvers and toy makers from Wurttemberg, Germany. In fact, Albert’s father Frederick Wilhelm and his grandfather Anton Wilhelm were both makers of wooden dolls. Albert established his toy company in Philadelphia in 1872, initially producing toy pianos, an example of which is also on display in the Museum’s gallery.
The Museum is sponsoring a holiday house tour which will take place on Sunday, December 9 from 2:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m. Homes to be included are the Allocca-Adams Residence, the Murcek Home, the Home of Alan and Martha Barrick, the Jim Clark Residence, and the Cooper’s Guest Home in Lewisburg plus the Lewisburg Cemetery chapel and office as well as the historic Slifer House Museum decorated in their holiday best. On the afternoon of the event, tickets may be purchased at the museum from 1:00 until 3:30 pm. Ticket holders are then invited to return to the museum for light refreshments, music, and tours of the museum which will remain open until 6:00 p.m. Tickets are ten dollars ($10).
Tickets will be available at the following locations in downtown Lewisburg: the Open Door Gallery; the Mercantile; Gingerbread House; Premiere Clothing; Faustina’s Gallery; The Celtic Exchange; and in Kelly Township at the Susquehanna Valley Visitors Bureau; and the Slifer House Museum.
The holiday exhibit continues through December 30. For further information, please call the Museum at (570) 524-2245.
Click here to download the 2007 Holiday House Tour flyer.
To learn more about the Slifer House, contact us by e-mail or call (570) 524-2245.
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