VICTORIAN HERITAGE DAYS COMING TO PT TOWNSEND IN MARCH

14th Annual

Victorian Heritage Days

March 18-20, 2011

2011 Victorian Heritage Days in Port Townsend will feature connections between our past and our present through presentations, social events, tours, and open homes. We will showcase how old homes can adapt to modern expectations of comfort and convenience without compromising their historic look and feel, how whales were and are a part of our lives in the Pacific Northwest, and social events like teas and a dance that bring people together. Local museums feature different aspects of our past and present. A schedule of activities and a map of Victorian Heritage Days venues and open homes will be posted on our website and be available at the visitor’s center and all event venues. PRESENTATIONS: Understanding Old Houses: The Port Townsend School of Woodworking and Preservation Technology (PTSWPT) will share how to look at old houses to find the stories they tell about their original construction and current needs. Weatherizing an Old Home: Learn how understanding traditional construction methods can help homeowners make appropriate decisions about the maintenance and insulation of their old home without compromising its historic fabric. (PTSWPT) Whales – Then and Now: Port Townsend Marine Science Center Staff will explore how some of the many whale based products were used in Victorian times and how our relationship with whales has changed. Open Boat Shop at the Northwest Maritime Center. Crews working on annual maintenance of a traditional longboat will share knowledge of the boats, what they were designed to do and what it takes to keep them “ship shape.” Fashion Show featuring Victorian style clothing. Proceeds will benefit the Jefferson County Historical Society Scholarship Fund. Quilt display and demonstration of the basics of hand quilting. TOURS OF HISTORIC PORT TOWNSEND Walking Tours of uptown and downtown historic districts. Bus Tours of Port Townsend’s historic districts. Advanced reservations strongly recommended. SOCIAL EVENTS Family Social at the Jefferson Community School will feature family parlor games popular in Victorian times. Equinox Dance: Hands Across the Centuries – Dress to represent someone from the past, present or future. Advance tickets recommended. Victorian Tea -- served Saturday and Sunday. Advance Reservations Required. MUSEUMS AND OPEN HOMES Port Townsend Realtors will hold open houses with focus on those homes of historical note. Jefferson County Historical Society Museum, located in the Port Townsend City Hall building, features exhibits in the former municipal court room, fire hall and jail spaces. Don’t miss the interactive program, Port Townsend Then and Now, featuring historic photos and contemporary matches. Rothschild House, Port Townsend. The house has been left intact, as the family remembered it from its early years. As such, it is a surprisingly accurate reflection of our culture 100 years ago. The children's room looks like the children have just stepped out for a few minutes. The parlor waits for visiting callers. Fort Worden’s Coast Artillery Museum has models and artifacts of fortifications and emplacements used to protect Puget Sound harbors from the late 1880’s through the end of World War II. Fort Worden’s Commanding Officer’s Quarters was completed in April 1904. Located at the head of Officers’ Row, the Commanding Officer’s Quarters features late Victorian and Edwardian furnishings and provide a unique glimpse into the life of a senior U. S. Army officer and his family in the first decade of the 20th century. Port Townsend Marine Science Center exhibits and artifacts offer visitors an opportunity to see real whale teeth and bones and to compare the relationships of whales and people living in the Pacific Northwest in Victorian times and today. Samples of products from whales in common use during the age of whaling will be available for viewing. Contact: Kathy Liu, Victorian Heritage Days Coordinator: vic.soc.nw@gmail.com  phone: 360.379.1954 Website: http://www.victorianfestival.org/2011/