Wentworth House

Gatsby Garden Party at the Wentworth House

Nearly a century ago in the 1920s, the historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House in Rollinsford, NH hosted formal garden parties, concerts and teas, along with exhibits of colonial-era artifacts. The Roaring Twenties will return to the Wentworth House on Sunday, July 16 with a 1920s Gatsby Garden Party from 1 to 4 pm.

The public is invited to enjoy an afternoon of croquet on the lawn, other vintage indoor and outdoor pastimes, music, and exhibits of local artifacts from the 1920s. Guests may also tour the house and view “Fashionable Folks: What New Englanders Wore,” an exhibit of clothing from the 1830s to the 1920s. Light refreshments will be served but guests are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy in the garden. Jazz Age attire is encouraged but not required.

This event is hosted by the nonprofit Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH). Admission to the Gatsby Garden Party is $5 for the general public; ARCH members and children under 16 are free. For reservations or more information, call (603) 742-4747 or send an email to [email protected].

Maintained by ARCH as an educational and cultural center for the community, the circa 1701 Wentworth House is located on Water Street in Rollinsford and hosts living history events, exhibits, and school and youth programs. For more information about this and other events at the Wentworth House, consult the ARCH website at paulwentworthhouse.org or on Facebook at The Colonel Paul Wentworth House.

July 3, 2017 in Community Group, Historical

Defending the Frontier at the Wentworth House 

In March 1690, a sudden attack by French and Native American raiders devastated the English settlement along the Salmon Falls River in what is now South Berwick, Maine. As the English, French and Native Americans all struggled for control of New England in the late 1600s, English colonists in the Piscataqua region lived under constant threat of attack. To demonstrate how English colonists defended their homes, historical re-enactors portraying Benjamin Church’s Company of rangers will be encamped at Rollinsford’s historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House on Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18.

Considered by some to be the forerunner of today’s US Army Rangers, Benjamin Church’s Company was organized to defend English frontier settlements and used fighting tactics learned from Native Americans to carry out offensive strikes against the French and hostile Indians. In addition to displays and demonstrations of military equipment and tactics, demonstrations of early American home life and crafts will be offered from 10 am to 4 pm on both days, along with tours of the house. A donation of $5 is suggested for adults; the event is free to children and ARCH members.

To understand the conflict from the opposing side, on Saturday visitors may cross the river into South Berwick, where the company of “Les Mousquets du Roi,” French re-enactors from Montreal, along with Penobscot interpreter Ken Hamilton, will be encamped next to the Counting House Museum on Liberty Street.

The circa 1701 Wentworth House is located on Water Street in Rollinsford and is maintained by the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH).  For more information about this and other events at the Wentworth House, consult the ARCH website at paulwentworthhouse.org or on Facebook at The Colonel Paul Wentworth House.

 

June 8, 2017 in Historical

1777 Home-Front Event at Wentworth House

When we think about the American Revolution, images of soldiers with muskets come to mind. But how did the war affect the daily lives of civilians and the families left at home? Explore this lesser told side of American history at 1777 Home-Front, a two-day living history event at Rollinsford’s historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House on Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30.

It is April 1777, two years into the war, and town residents are meeting at the Wentworth House to gather supplies and clothing to send to the army, while the Colonel’s family tends to the everyday tasks of maintaining the house and its grounds. Historical re-enactors portraying Wentworth family members and their neighbors will bring this moment in history to life as they prepare meals from the hearth to the table, tend to the gardens, discuss the events of the day, and sew clothing and other much-needed supplies for the troops. Each day will also see visits by local vendors, merchants, army recruiters, and men of the town preparing for the impending call to arms.

Visitors to the event will experience the sights and sounds of a household during the American Revolution, and can tour a home which has stood through three centuries of American history. This event will run from 10 am to 4 pm on both days. Admission is $5 for the general public; free for children and members of ARCH.

The circa 1701 Wentworth House is located on Water Street in Rollinsford, NH and is maintained by the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH).  For more information about this and other events at the Wentworth House, consult the ARCH website at paulwentworthhouse.org or on Facebook at The Colonel Paul Wentworth House.

April 3, 2017 in Highway Department

World War II at the Wentworth House

The public is invited to stop by the Colonel Paul Wentworth House in Rollinsford, NH on Sunday, September 11 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm for a living history day showcasing America’s role in World War II.
Reenactors in period uniforms and in civilian clothing will display the uniforms, equipment and weapons of the US soldier. Visitors will be able to see a newspaper from the day after Pearl Harbor while listening to radio broadcasts from that momentous event, try out a 1940’s baseball glove, see a US machine gun crew in action, and learn about Maine and New Hampshire in World War II. 
The circa 1701 Colonel Paul Wentworth House is located on Water Street in Rollinsford and is maintained by the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH). Tours of the house will also be offered during the event. Admission is $5 for adults; the event is free to children and ARCH members. For more information about this and other events at the Wentworth House, consult the ARCH website at paulwentworthhouse.org.

September 9, 2016 in Community Group, Historical

Sports History Talks at the Wentworth House

Baseball fans and bicycling enthusiasts who are interested in the histories of their respective sports won’t want to miss two up-coming talks at Rollinsford’s historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House. Both lectures are being presented in connection with “Neighborhood Entertainments: New Englanders at Play,” the exhibit on early New England sports and recreation currently on view at the Wentworth House.Zip Zamarchi will present an illustrated talk about penny farthings, bone shakers and other forerunners of the modern bicycle on Tuesday, July 26. Mr. Zamarchi is a cycling historian and an avid collector of antique bicycles and bicycling memorabilia. Several items from his extensive collection are included in the exhibit.

On Tuesday, August 9, Brian Sheehy will describe the game of baseball the way it was played by early teams such as the Portsmouth Rockinghams and the Newburyport Clamdiggers: no gloves, underhand pitching, and woolen knickerbocker uniforms. In addition to being an historian of the game, Mr. Sheehy plays base ball in the style of the 1800s with the Essex Vintage Base Ball Club.

Both talks will be presented at 7 pm, and the doors will open at 6 pm for visitors who would like to tour the exhibit prior to the presentation. Light refreshments will be served afterwards. Admission to the presentations and the exhibit is $5 for the general public and free for members of ARCH.

Maintained by the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) as an educational and cultural center, the Colonel Paul Wentworth House is located at 47 Water Street in Rollinsford, NH. For more information, call (603)742-4747 or (603) 749-1966.

July 31, 2016 in Community Group, Historical

Domestic Life at the Wentworth House

At Home in the 18th Century at the Wentworth House

An 18th century New England household will come to life at a two-day living history event at the historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House in Rollinsford, NH from 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19.

Re-enactors in period clothing will demonstrate a wide range of domestic activities showcasing everyday life in a colonial home, including gardening, hearth cooking and housekeeping chores, as well as games and pastimes. Saturday’s highlight will be a demonstration of colonial foodways from the hearth to the table, illustrating how food was prepared, served and enjoyed in the 18th century. Demonstrators will also show how early Americans “slept tight” by making a straw-filled mattress and roping a bedstead. Visitors will be welcome to join in some indoor and outdoor games which were popular in colonial America.

Located on Water Street in Rollinsford, the Wentworth House is maintained by the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) as an educational and cultural center. Admission to this event is $5 for adults, and free for children and ARCH members. For more information, consult the ARCH website at www.paulwentworthhouse.org or on Facebook at The Colonel Paul Wentworth House.

June 14, 2016 in Community Group, Historical