White Glove Tour Highlights Month of September

Gabriel Byrne, of Mount Gulian Historic Site, shows guests an assortment of authentic items from the Verplanck family at Sunday’s “White Glove” tour to the general public.
Gabriel Byrne, of Mount Gulian Historic Site, shows guests an assortment of authentic items from the Verplanck family at Sunday’s “White Glove” tour to the general public.

By Jennifer L. Warren

BEACON – A late 1700s handwritten, cursive letter from the young, “rebellious” Gulian Verplanck to his parents upon getting in serious trouble in school, an authentic, wool coat family heirloom-dated around 1800-1850, a silk-ivory handle fan hailing from some time in the 1870’s, a decorative steel sword bearing an eagle insignia and Virginia Verplanck’s scrapbook-chock-filled with intriguing, pictorial and written entries.

These were just some of the prized pearls, representing 300 years of history- “out from the collection storage rooms”- guests had the priceless opportunity to get up-close-and personal with, mining a “seldom found perspective from the past,” examining them as well as donning specially supplied, trademark “White Gloves” to engage with these artifacts in a tangible manner. The Sundays in September event, held at Beacon’s Mount Gulian Historic Site, at 12:00 and 2:00pm sessions, “The White Glove Tour,” continues through the next couple weekends this month.

Guests at Sunday’s White Gloves event directly interact with special items owned by the Verplanck family, who occupied Mount Gulian’s Historic Site.
Guests at Sunday’s White Gloves event directly interact with special items owned by the Verplanck family, who occupied Mount Gulian’s Historic Site.

Initiating with a history-laden tour of the House, along with its neighboring barn and garden, led by Gabriel Byrne, the special event, informs guests about the 1730 built historic Home which the Verplanck clan occupied until 1931 when an unfortunate fire plagued the site. Byrne relays fascinating details about such topics as; the way meals were prepared, the kitchen basement, “cool temperature” locale, rehabilitation phase following the fire, Master Gardener-former slave, James Brown, as well as 1966 formation of the Mount Gulian Historical Society, along with its connections to the Society of the Cincinnati.

Created with the intention of replicating what it looked like during the American Revolution, the place with George Washington and his troops’ deep ties, Mount Gulian’s Historic Site is preparing for a huge milestone next year: Its 50thAnniversary.

In that spirit, the Site remains excited about educating guests about its transformative grounds, the people who inhabited them and its continual critical pieces in local, state and national history. The present White Gloves Tour represents a memorable way to directly interact with items-many provided by the Verplanck family- and truly feel a part of history.

Gabriel Byrne, a tour guide at Mount Gulian’s Historic Site, provides information on the famous, historic residence at Sunday’s special White Gloves tour to the general public.
Gabriel Byrne, a tour guide at Mount Gulian’s Historic Site, provides information on the famous, historic residence at Sunday’s special White Gloves tour to the general public.

“We hope out of town visitors, our neighbors, and local residents will stop by and avail themselves to this unique opportunity,” said Elaine Hayes, Executive Director of the Site.

To register for this event, call: 845-831-8172 or log onto: info@mountgulian.org. To learn more about the site itself as well as directions, log onto: www.mountgulian.org.

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