Monday, December 2, 2013

Pottstown is Home to the Best Holiday House Tour Sunday

Historic re-enactors in period clothing will populate Pottsgrove Manor during the popular "Pottsgrove Manor by Canldelight" holiday house tour on Sunday. As usual, it will be combined with a guided tour historic homes in Pottstown.

The historic Holiday House Tour in Pottstown will once again be paired with Pottsgrove Manor's candlelight tour and will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8.

This year, the Pottstown tour has been taken over by the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority, or PDIDA and is paired up with several other holiday events downtown.

The holiday house tour will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. and starts at The Elks Club on High Street for high tea event, which begins at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets for the tour itself will be sold at the PDIDA office, 17 N. Hanover St. or the Pottstown Parks and Recreation office on the second floor of borough hall, 100 E. High St.

A free trolley will travel between the buildings on the tour.

You can start the day at 10 a.m. with a Brunch With Santa event, to be held at Grumpy's hand-
Learn what John Potts and friends ate
for the holidays in colonial times.
Carved Sandwiches, 137 E High St.

The event runs until 1 p.m. and costs $7 each and reservations are required and can be made by calling 610-323-5400.

Carriage rides along High Street will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. and will cost only $5 per person. Tickets will be sold at Smith Plaza, right in front of borough hall, which of course, is where Santa Claus will arrive at 5 p.m.

A community tree lighting in the plaza will follow his arrival.

In addition to enjoying a tour of the historic Victorian homes throughout Pottstown, decorated for the holidays, isitors can also visit Pottsgrove Manor from 2 to 8 p.m. and enjoy a colonial Christmas celebration as part of the "Pottsgrove Manor by Candlelight open house.

The public is invited to take a self-guided tour of the elegant 1752 manor house where costumed interpreters will depict the colonial residents of Pottsgrove Manor. 

As visitors make their way through the house they will hear the strains of traditional harp music, see English country dancing, catch a whiff of the delicious smells in the kitchen as historical cook Deborah Peterson prepares authentic dishes at the open hearth, and enjoy the beauty of the mansion lit by candlelight and bedecked with greenery. 

Traditional colonial Christmas dishes will be cooked at 

Pottsgrove Manor Sunday
Complimentary refreshments of hot spiced cider, colonial-style chocolate drink, and gingerbread cookies will be served at the end of the house tour.

After exploring the house, guests will want to visit Pottsgrove Manor’s museum shop for unique, historically-oriented gifts like locally-made redware pottery and ornaments, reproduction glassware, handcrafted candles and soaps, books, toys, games, and more.

Next door to the mansion in the Miller’s House, young visitors will be able to make free seasonal crafts to take home. Outside in the manor’s courtyard, visitors will be able to warm themselves by a bonfire (weather permitting), and enjoy historic carols sung by the Colonial Revelers singing group (performing from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.)

A donation of $2 per person is suggested for this event. No reservations are needed. 

Visitors are asked to park at Memorial Park (75 West King Street); a shuttle will transport visitors to and from Pottsgrove Manor throughout the event. 

Holiday celebrations in colonial times, as will be seen at
Pottsgrove Manor 

centered around Twelfth Night.
Handicapped parking is available in the museum’s parking lot. The Manor’s open house will also be featured as a stop on the Pottstown Historical House Tour that evening.

Can’t make it to the open house? Visitors can enjoy the spirit of the season at Pottsgrove Manor now through Jan. 12 with a guided tour of the mansion, decorated for the holidays. 

Tours are offered during regular museum hours, and the museum shop will also be open for holiday shopping. Regular museum hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

Tours are given on the hour. The last tour of the day begins as 3 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should pre-register by calling 610-326-4014. The museum is closed Mondays, as well as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.

Pottsgrove Manor is located at 100 West King Street near the intersection of King Street and Route 100, just off Route 422, in Pottstown. 

Pottsgrove Manor is operated by Montgomery County under the direction of the Parks, Trails, & Historic Sites Division of the Assets and Infrastructure Department. 

For more information, please call 610-326-4014, or visit the website at www.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor. Like Pottsgrove Manor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pottsgrovemanor.

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