Visiting Stan Hywet for the First TimeThis Season

They're open! Finally! It seems like this winter season (even though we never really had winter) has lasted forever. Stan Hywet closes from Dec.30 to April 1 every year, and it seems like it's been a whole year in those four short months.

We were finally able to go up this past Friday. The weather was beautiful --- not a cloud in the sky, and we were even able to get Sarah to come along with us. Little Boaz stayed with his Grandma for the day, as none of us thought that he'd really enjoy Stan Hywet. There's not much to offer for a little boy who is not quite two years old. The tulips were at their peak up there, too, which was great. The colors were beautiful. We walked around outside for a while and even went through the conservatory. These are some assorted photos taken "around". :)

The house was great. Their exhibit for this season is called The Art of Living Beautifully and features a display of jewelry spanning the Victorian era through the 1930s. This was fabulous, and the pieces on display were amazing. My favorite was a 1920s necklace made of pink and purple beads that were made in a kind of "rope" pattern. Also, Mr. Seiberling's presentation watch was on display. This is a limited edition pocket watch presented to him in 1928 by the staff at Seiberling Rubber Company. The watch is in it's original box, complete with key and certificates. It is still owned by Seiberling's grandson, and this is the first time that it's been displayed.

Another piece that is quite memorable was a gold square-shaped locket that also belonged to Mr. Seiberling. This was given to him by a friend (believed to be from John Wesley Hill, an author and friend of the Seiberlings). What is special about this locket is that it contains some hair from Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Seiberling was a keen Lincoln "buff", and a member of a lot of Lincoln groups (the Lincoln Highway, the Lincoln Memorial Foundation and others). The hair was purchased from one of the largest Lincoln collectors (can't remember the name) and then given to Mr. Seiberling. Elizabeth and I thought that was pretty cool to see.



Also as part of this year's displays, various clothes from the Seiberling family were on display throughout the house. It was quite eye-opening to see how normal all of the clothes actually looked when not seen in a black-and-white photograph. The dress that really thrilled me was a bright red flapper dress, complete with matching accessories, that was in Irene's bedroom. Wow! That thing was a work of art.

Well, Elizabeth and I are hoping to go back in the next couple of weeks for another go. We'd like to see the Gate House and take the Nooks and Crannies tour. Not to mention that you can, apparently, hike the foot path around to a view of the back of the house. We'd like to take that in as well. More later.