Sunday afternoon brought a wonderful opportunity to visit the Kelton House for a historic reenactment. It was a raging hot day and I had my doubts about spending a few hours in the stuffy swelter of a Victorian era home (which most assuredly lacked the modern convenience of AC.)The beautiful neighborhood that frames Kelton House is rife with many exquisitely designed buildings that appeared to date to the same time. After a few moments of oohing and ahhing we laid eyes on the small unassuming home that was now the historic Kelton house museum. We were pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the place, especially the old stone basement where the reenactment took place.
The performance wasn't quite what I'm used to in terms of reenactments. No battles, no soldiers, just a lone man at a podium giving a speech.
It took me awhile to realize that this man was reenacting the speeches of Frederick Douglass, a former slave who spoke openly and passionately for the Abolitionist cause.
The effect was amazing, as we listened to this talented man, the words of over 100 years ago reverberated through the simple stone cellar. Every word carved a sick and suffering picture of life as a slave. Douglass eloquently argued for abolition with the same words Thomas Jefferson used to declare independence from England. He questioned why the black man wasn't included in the "...all men are created equal" equation and why they were denied the "unalienable right" of "liberty" that Jefferson called "self-evident".
This was a stirring tribute to an amazing man.
After the reenactment, we journeyed up the narrow, creaking staircase for a tour of the house, built in 1852. I then realized the glaring differences between the historic sites in North Carolina and this museum. The plantations at Brattonsville and Latta are from an earlier, simpler time. The furnishings aren't quite as exquisite as those at Kelton. The other glaring deviation was the brightly-colored and extensively-patterned decor.
Most people would consider it garish; the strange collision of pink patterned scrollwork wallpaper with bright green, yellow, and red patterned carpet. It's certainly enough to make you dizzy! Add to that the fact that every room features a different patterned wallpaper and crazily-colored carpet and there's somewhat of a funhouse effect. You think of all the dull and dingy daguerreotypes you've seen of the time. People not smiling, houses in the limited palette of brown, light brown and lighter brown and you'd never guess that those same people were surrounded by such a colorful melange!
You think also of the Victorian era...buttoned up, etiquette driven, and pristine. These two things seemingly have nothing in common.
The Kelton family was considered upper middle class, but the original furnishings of the house tell a different, more opulent story. Horsehair chairs and settees, "stuffed with horsehair" the guide exclaimed, "as springs hadn't been invented yet". The elaborate marble fireplaces, some crafted from the same type of warm Italian marble used by Michelangelo.
The guide explained that each of the luxurious rooms had a purpose. What we call a "drawing room" got its name because this was where the ladies "withdrew" after dinner while the gentlemen puffed away on their cigars in the parlour. She also mentioned that women of the time wore wax makeup and showed off the bronze and glass "embroidery stands" which served the dual purpose of framing their artwork while shielding their faces from the heat of the fire.
She then lead us to the room specifically set aside for "calling". With no telephone or Myspace, the most efficient way to get the latest gossip was to have calling hours. Each lady would have calling cards with their names and their calling days and hours on them. During calling hours, the lady of the house would sit in the room in all her finery, offer treats for her guests, and allow each visitor only 15 minutes to sit and gossip. Every guest would leave their calling card in a decorative silver dish on their way out the door, thus giving the host a chance to come calling at their homes. One imagines that these ladies had tremendous restraint. I couldn't have a 15 convo with my CAPS homies if my life depended on it! Too much hilarity and too much time laughing hysterically at various CAPS scenarios!
One of the most touching and amazing artifacts housed in the calling room was a scrapbook kept by Anna Kelton. Through the protective glass you can the see the actual telegram that informed the family of son Oscar's death in the Civil War. It says briefly in light flowing script, "Oscar dead, killed in battle, body in the hands of enemy". To look at this simple piece of paper and imagine the grief and despair it brought the Keltons, to think of the tears they shed over the browned and faded scrap; it drove home the point that the ghosts in the paintings were real people once and we were spectators of their reality.
Of course I could barely contain my excitement when the guide mentioned that the place was allegedly haunted! Obviously, that was the sole reason I was there (get it, "soul" hahaha).
The last grandaughter of the Kelton family, Grace, died in 1975 at the ripe old age of 94. She was described as a flamboyant, independent woman who created her own interior design company.
She willed the house to the Columbus foundation, with the stipulation that it be restored and used as a museum. If the money couldn't be raised to complete the restoration, she wanted the house destroyed and a children's park built on the property. Luckily the association came through and now this wonderful glimpse of history is here for all to enjoy.
If you ever get the chance, it's definitely worth the trek! Not just for the house itself; for the history, the neighborhood, the appreciation of those who came before us.
Here's the link to the Kelton House website:
1 comment:
I'm one of the volunteers there. Thank you for such a lovely write up about the place!
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