Milford Garden Club provides period greenery for Parson Thorne Mansion during the holidays
Milford Historical Society announced that they will begin opening the Parson Thorne Mansion the second Saturday of every month to the public. On December 14, visitors will be able to see the mansion decorated for the holidays by the Milford Garden Club.
“Every year, the Milford Garden Club does an amazing job of adding greenery and decorations for the various periods the mansion has been in existence,” President Ralph Prettyman said. “The wreaths and other greenery are not store bought. They are created fresh by the members of the garden club.”
The mansion will be open for tours from 10 AM until 2 PM and visitors can learn the rich history of one of the oldest buildings in Milford. Mulled cider and cookies will also be available in the newly restored kitchen of the mansion.
“We have done a significant amount of work to the mansion over the past year,” Prettyman said. “We are almost done restoring the kitchen and have completed the restoration of a small storage area we recently discovered. Our next projects include the plantation office as well as the sharecropper’s cottage behind the mansion.”
According to documents created by the Milford Historical Society, Silver Hill, which is the official name of the structure, was originally built by Joseph Booth, Sr. and John Cullen before the birth of Reverend Sydenham Thorne. The mansion and its grounds changed hands many times before it was sold to Parson Thorne in 1785 after he married Betty Crapper, the wealthy widow of Levin Crapper. Over time, the home became known as the Parson Thorne Mansion.
“Along with the maintenance and restoration projects related to the preservation of the history of the property, we are also in the process of constructing a visitor’s center,” Prettyman said. “The new structure will be constructed to match the historical look of the property and will be in the style of a barn, similar to what may have existed on the land when Parson Thorne and his wife lived here. This will allow us to have handicap accessible restrooms, more display space as well as storage areas that will protect our collections.”
The Milford Historical Society is seeking volunteers in order to open the mansion more often and to assist them with fund raising efforts as well. For more information, contact [email protected].
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