Then and Now: RHS Holiday Edition

We at the Harrison House (our Curator Cat, Frankie, included) were thrilled to receive some pictures of Christmas here in the late 1970s (either ‘77 or ‘78). One of the original volunteers, Charlie Crawford, was kind enough to share them with us!

I’ll post the pictures—along with modern-day counterparts—below. But first, some context: historians and museum folks LOVE pictures! It means so much to us to see how our house museum has developed over the years. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Roseland Historical Society formed and purchased the Harrison House (from a Harrison descendant) in the 1970s. As of now, the RHS has owned the Harrison House for nearly fifty years! This is especially poignant as, over the weekend, we had a little bit of a crisis: our neighbors may have noticed the fire department on the property . . . Everything is fine now, but the furnace is being replaced as we speak. Sometimes looking after a historic house is the same as caring for any home.

But enough of that! On to the photos:

First, above, you can see an exterior shot of the house. The 1970s image is on the left, and the modern one on the right. Notice the difference in the trees in the yard and in the roofline of the house. I especially like the lovely wreath in the 1970s picture!

Next, we have a shot of the historic kitchen/dining room. The painting of the mantle (and the cover over the beehive oven, that panel on the left side of the fireplace!) really makes a difference!

And finally, the front parlor! As with the kitchen, you can see that a lot of furniture has been added over the years. But that fireplace is still distinctive, as is the wonderful light coming in through the front windows.

It truly is such a treat to be able to go through photos like these, which bear witness to the Harrison House’s evolution as a museum. What a great holiday gift! Thank you, Charlie!