4 minute read
Ruthmere To Celebrate In Style
By BethAnne Brink-Cox, house & home feature writer
When you think of holiday decorations you’re probably thinking Santa, reindeer, flashing lights and glitz, inside and out. But in bygone days the look was much simpler, as well, originating from different countries and their traditions. That could mean strings of popcorn and candles on the tree, cookies, tinsel, all kinds of things you probably don’t see any more. Wouldn’t you love to step back in time and immerse yourself in history to see that? Ruthmere Museum Campus invites you to do so!
Ruthmere House, formerly known as the Albert and Elizabeth Beardsley residence, a three story mansion, is the most prominent historic residence in Elkhart. It was built in 1910 by the Beardsleys, named in part for their daughter Ruth, and according to Bill Firstenberger, executive director, has been a house museum since 1973. He said Ruthmere Campus does a different decorating scheme every year, while the Havilah Beardsley House, down the street, sticks to traditional 19th century decorations, in keeping with its history.
Havilah Beardsley built the house in 1848, which was two stories at the time with one story wings added later. Beardsley was one of the founders of Elkhart, and the house is now operated as a museum, part of the Ruthmere Campus.
Obviously you can’t have lit candles on a Christmas tree any longer, but Firstenberger said,” But you can buy electric candles, and we do that wherever it makes sense to use them, as long as they’re realistic looking. For obvious reasons, no open flames are allowed in either house.”
Outside decorations are seasonal. Inside, Firstenberger said, “... Any of the open spaces will be decorated. And you may or may not see docents and other staff in period costumes, according to their
personal wishes. One or two of our docents are into first-person interpretation, and if that’s their thing, we are fine with that. “When you come for tours, we have a basic structural frame or baseline to follow, and every tour guide is expected to develop their own personal take and story, as long as the facts are accurate. ”
Ruthmere Campus started decorating according to a theme some years back, Firstenberger said, using an overarching theme with individual components. “Two years ago, we did “Christmas by Design,” partnering with area designers, who could do pretty much whatever they wanted, while observing the necessary rules such as no Scotch tape on the walls.”
Every designer paired with a local nonprofit charity, using their contacts to invite guests to vote on the designs. At the end of December, the design with the most votes earned $1,000 for their charity. This year’s theme is ‘Hollywood Holiday,’ incorporating favorite Christmas movies, such as ‘A Christmas Story.’ Again, we have paired charities with Ruthmere staff members, volunteers or local designers and encourage help with social media promotion.”
Firstenberger said they did have tours last year, “Lower attendance, of course, reduced tour sizes. We’re still doing that as best practice, and masks are optional. Our policy is that our interpreters/ guides are encouraged to wear masks if that makes them more comfortable, although if a guide has not been vaccinated, they must wear an N-95 mask.”
The prices to attend these two beautiful homes are: Ruthmere Campus costs $10 for adults, and $5 for children, while Beardsley is $5 for adults and $2 for children. However, many people want to see both historic homes, and so a reduced campus price is available at $13 for adults and $5 for students. Even better, Wednesday is always Senior Discount Day, and seniors can visit both homes for just $10.
Any good museum has a gift shop which is always a delight to browse. In July, the Havilah Beardsley house featured an exhibit called “Beyond Wedgwood Blue,” more than 120 pieces encompassing ceramic plates and bowls, jewelry and more.
Firstenberger said the Wedgwood cameo in the gift shop is a big seller, and he is expecting good sales of a new book, “Robert Recalls, “ the recollections of Robert Beardsley, former president of the board of directors. He said the museum is known for teas, and so there are also items tea lovers will want. n
Photo courtesy of Black Crow on Main, Elkhart
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