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Women of the Moffatt-Ladd House
Portsmouth’s Moffatt-Ladd House is among the best-preserved and finest Georgian mansions in all of the United States. How this house, built in 1760s, survived and witnessed history is a tale that is being told in Women of the Moffatt-Ladd House, an exhibition now on view at the Society's museum. The elegant mansion, in the heart of Portsmouth and overlooking the harbor, has survived thanks to the generations of women who have lived in its walls, and fought to save it. The Women of the Moffatt-Ladd House focuses on the stories of these women as well as how The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Hampshire turned it into a museum in 1911. Go back through time with a collection of period costumes, family furnishings, diaries, letters, albums, portraits, and a well-used antique rocking horse on display together for the first time to tell the house’s 300-year history. “We are delighted at the opportunity to again display many of our treasures during the months when the Moffatt-Ladd House is closed to the public, and we have made some special additions to the exhibition for this larger venue,” said Moffatt-Ladd House Director/Curator Barbara M. Ward. The Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden is a National Historic Landmark that was built for merchant John Moffatt between 1760 and 1763. During the Revolution, it was the home of General William Whipple, one of New Hampshire’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence, and his wife Katharine Moffatt Whipple. In 1817, the house passed to John Moffatt's great-granddaughter, Maria Tufton Haven Ladd (1787-1861). Her son, Alexander Hamilton Ladd, lived in the house from 1862 until his death in 1900. The Moffatt-Ladd House holds one of the finest collections of early Portsmouth art and artifacts, and the exhibition highlights family-owned treasures, many of which were lovingly preserved and documented by Maria Tufton Haven Ladd. A trunk full of clothing, which was locked and put away for decades until the museum received permission to open it in 1986, is part of the exhibition, according to Sherry Cullimore, Moffatt-Ladd Museum properties chair. “They had pinned little notes to everything,” Cullimore said. These notes identified Maria’s wedding dress, a shawl she embroidered in 1798 while a student in Miss Kimball’s school, and baby clothes worn by many of her 13 children. Cullimore noted that “the trunk included two beautiful white wool shawls with paisley borders, labeled as Kate’s and Adeline’s. These two little girls died within two months of one another in 1836 – they were just 4 and 7.” The exhibition also includes the black veil that Maria wore while mourning them and the six other children she lost. What You'll See The exhibition includes clothing, family furnishings, diaries, letters, albums, portraits, and a well-used antique rocking horse. Women of the Moffatt-Ladd House was developed by the staff and volunteers of the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden, a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the New Hampshire Colonial Dames. The exhibition is on loan from the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden in Portsmouth, and will be on view at the through May 10, 2008. Plan Your Visit Today The Museum of New Hampshire History is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m. The museum is also open Monday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from July 1 through October 15, and in the month of December. Admission is $5.50 for adults; $4.50 for seniors; $3 for children 6-18, with a family maximum of $17. Children under 6 and members of the New Hampshire Historical Society are admitted free. Directions The Museum of New Hampshire History is located at 6 Eagle Square in downtown Concord, NH. Telephone: 603/228-6688 Take Interstate 93 to Exit 14. Northbound -- turn left at the light at the end of the exit ramp; Southbound -- turn right at the light at the end of the exit ramp. Stay in the right lane. At North Main Street turn right. Take the next right onto Storrs Street. Pass under a bridge and overhead parking garage; the museum parking lot entrance is on the left just as you begin to emerge from under the overhead parking garage. At the parking lot entrance gate, take a ticket to open the lot gate. After parking, cross Storrs Street to the museum entrance. The museum is a four-story granite building. Parking is free for museum visitors. Bring your parking lot ticket to redeem for an exit token at the museum reception desks. Who Are We? Founded in 1823, the New Hampshire Historical Society is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving, preserving, and sharing New Hampshire history. The Society serves thousands of children and adults each year through its Museum of New Hampshire History, research library, educational programs, and award-winning publications. Join Us! The New Hampshire Historical Society is not a state-funded agency. All of the Society's programs and services are made possible by dues and contributions from individuals, foundations, and businesses. Free admission to Museum of New Hampshire History and free use of library research resources are two of the many benefits of membership in the New Hampshire Historical Society. You are invited to join today! Call the membership department at 603/856-0621 or use our convenient and secure online membership form. For more information, please contact the New Hampshire Historical Society (wballa@nhhistory.org)
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