Newcomer House Begins Season with Ribbon-Cutting and Porch Program Celebrating New Furnishings Exhibit
New exhibit highlights life in the Newcomer House on the eve of Battle of Antietam
FREDERICK, Md., March 24, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area's Visitor and Exhibit Center at Newcomer House on the Antietam National Battlefield is opening for the season on April 1, 2023. A ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. will celebrate the official dedication of its newest exhibit, a furnished parlor. The dedication will be followed by a series of Porch Program presentations that delve into the research, planning, and the selection and installation of furnishings that went into making this exhibit come to life. It is the only exhibit of its kind on the battlefield.
The exhibition evokes a sense of what the southeast parlor may have looked like in the days following the Battle of South Mountain and before the Battle of Antietam. Historic furnishings, some original, some reproductions, allow visitors to step back in time as the Newcomer family was getting ready to pack important belongings and vacate the property due to reports of impending military action directly affecting their farm.
Visitors are invited to enter the room, standing on historic reproduction carpeting, and take in the parlor as an immersive experience. A looping 10-minute soundscape recalls typical sounds of a quiet day at the mill and farm; dogs bark and birds sing as Mrs. Newcomer goes about her day. As the soundscape continues on, the sound of distant cannon fire, urgent visitors riding up to the house, and marching soldiers become more and more distinct. Three exhibit panels help tell the story of the Newcomer family, farmstead, and the civilian experience in Sharpsburg during the Civil War.
The day's Porch Program presentations will be as follows:
- 11:30 a.m. Jay Lunze, archeologist and anthropologist will describe their research on the Newcomer Family's social and cultural identity, which influenced design choices made in the exhibit.
- 1:00 p.m. David Guiney of Interpretive Design and Ruth Bielobocky of Ion Design will talk about the Visitor Experience Plan they designed for the Newcomer House in 2018 with particular attention to the development of the Southeast Parlor exhibit. Andy Chamberlain, historic furnishings expert, retired from the National Park Service, will speak in more depth about the furnishings and items in the room.
- 2:30 p.m. Deborah Weir, artist and muralist will talk about painting the faux marble fireplace surround and lead a hands-on workshop for the public to make their own faux marble greeting cards.
Funding for the Southeast Parlor Exhibit was provided by The Delaplaine Foundation, The Nora Roberts Foundation, The Mary K. Bowman Fund of the Community Foundation of Washington County, and The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. Additional funds were provided by Mike and Marlene Young. Key furnishings were gifts from the estate of Marion Miller and from Andrew Chamberlain.
The Newcomer House, located at 18422 Shepherdstown Pike in Keedysville, is one of only two historic homes on the battlefield open to the public. Located along the Antietam Creek and astride the Boonsboro Pike, the house was part of a thriving mill complex in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Joshua Newcomer owned the property during the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. It has been restored to its Civil War era appearance following the Secretary of Interior's standards. Visitors may watch a 10-minute video highlighting places of interest throughout the Heritage Area, enter a parlor furnished to evoke the days leading up to the battle, and browse brochures from the Heritage Area's three counties: Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties.
The Newcomer House is open 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. weekends in April, May, October, and November and daily June-September.
Media Contact
Rachel Nichols, Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area, (240) 308-1740, [email protected]
SOURCE Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area
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