Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Field Trip: Deepwood Museum & Gardens

Our next stop for our Salem field trip day was Deepwood Museum and Gardens.

The history of Deepwood...
What started as the dream of one man has become an oasis in the heart of Salem.
When William Christmas Knighton designed the magnificent Queen Anne Victorian home, now known as Deepwood, he could have never have imagined all it would come to mean to the community and region.  In 1968, as the home faced being torn down to make way for a corporate office building, the community recognized the need to act before it was too late.  Thanks to the dedication of those who recognized the immense beauty of the estate and worked tirelessly on the restoration, Deepwood is honored with the distinction of inclusion in the National Registry of Historic Places.

Today's visitors find the home as majestic as the day Luke and Lizzie Port moved to the estate in 1894.  The museum tour offers a chance to step into the life of each of those who called it home during its years as a private residence.


Just two silly girls...Kylee 15 on the left and Autumn 16 on the right


Summer is 11.



Strolling through the garden.




The outside of Deepwood.


This little sunroom was adorable!  Who wouldn't want a place like this?


Waiting for our tour.


I just adore this room!  A perfect place to enjoy lunch or a cup of tea and a book.


One of the owners changed the name of the estate to Deeepwood after this series of books.
All the following photos are from the inside of the home.  It was a 50-minute tour and had a lot of information all of which I can't remember.  But I wanted to share the photos.


An old dollhouse in the children's room upstairs.  The small details are charming!




The children's bedroom upstairs.  Shows many items that they would have used in that day.


Interesting wallpaper!


This was a little area upstairs that the gentleman of the home would have used for a study.  Autumn loved that old typewriter.


This room would have been the live-in maid/nanny's room.  You see it had a sewing area as well as her bed and dresser.



Notice the chamber pot and the cradle by the bed.


Interesting work on the wall in the hallway.



Area in the hallway where the man of the home would have stored his books in his library.


The bathroom.  The lady of the home loved green so you will see that color throughout the home.  A cupboard and some of the things that you would have seen back in that time.


Bathtub.




Another bedroom.


The beautiful wallpaper and the heat registers in that time.


Some of the items the lady of the house would have on her dressing table.
Also, the book that inspired the name change to Deepwood.


The large windows which I loved.  I don't love how they cover them up with wooden shutters and curtains.  So much natural light could come through but I suppose that was what they did in those days.


Pretty!  Reminds me of a scene from Anne of Green Gables.





There are multiple stained glass windows throughout the home specially designed by the designer for the owners and have special meanings as well.



Another area in the hallway is a sink for freshening/washing.  Again you can see the pieces from that era a lady might use.


I loved these - look above.  You can see they had windows over the doors.  This enabled them to shut the door for privacy but open the window for ventilation and airflow.


Another interesting aspect of this home.  They did not have the drywall and frames like we do now.  So they could not hang decor from the walls.  So they had a small railing that ran around the top of each room and enabled items to be hung with hooks.  Fascinating!


The fireplace in the bedroom of the lady of the home.


The lady of the home - her bedroom.  She may take tea there too.  You will see many tea sets of varied styles from different countries throughout the home.  It was the thing to do in that era.
Again, those big, beautiful windows are covered up!





Stained glass windows leading up to the second floor.



Interesting light fixture in the hallway.
Again, you can see the windows above the doorways on the second floor.




Some of the specially made stained glass windows as you make your way to the second floor.  The story in the window is about the three birds representing the father, mother, and son.  The son died when he was just an early adult and the blue represents the ocean where he died.




Photos from the kitchen.



Toasters and other appliances over the years.








More stained glass windows.






This second bathroom was unique as well - especially with the stained glass windows.






A player piano.




The front sitting room to entertain guests.



The front entrance of the house.


The fireplace in the front sitting room.  The docent was explaining the meaning of the stained glass window.




It was a great tour and we enjoyed it very much!  Very grateful for the discounted rate for spring break week.  It was $5 per adult with three kids free.  So only $10 for our whole group!
They had a scavenger hunt that the kids could find things throughout the tour as well.




You can tell by the skies how gloomy and chilly the morning started out as!

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