Author: popftw

Thank You Robert Nock Insurance!

Posted on by popftw

We’re incredibly grateful to Nock Insurance Agency, Inc. for celebrating their 50th Anniversary with us and supporting the Poplar Hill Mansion Groovy Glam Gala as a Gold Sponsor! Thank you for your generosity!

Nock Insurance in Salisbury, MD is your source for the best rates, bundles and policies for your insurance needs. They provide policies for your life, properties, vehicles, and business needs. When you work with them you can be assured you are finding the best rate because they work with a variety of providers instead of just one. They can use their variety of resources and expertise to find the policy that best suits your needs. Contact them today!

Siding Renovation Phase II

Posted on by popftw

You might have noticed the exterior of the Mansion undergoing some much needed renovations. The cypress siding is being replaced or repaired, and the front porch is being reconstructed. This is Phase II of a multi-phase, multi-year project at Poplar Hill Mansion. Phase I took place in 2023 when we replaced the siding on the east and west elevation of the house from the second story down. Phase III should occur in 2026, with repairs to the second floor siding and cedar shingles. Finally, Phase IV will be the shutters, which will be repaired, repainted to their original color of Charleston Green, and reinstalled on the entire house (not just the front). We are very excited to have this work done to protect the house. We are also very grateful to the Mayor and City Council for making sure this project received the funding and attention it needed.

Painting at Poplar Hill

Posted on by popftw

Our third painting class in a series of four, was recently held at the Mansion. This one featured artist Dawn Tarr doing a piece, Springtime Songbirds with students from a varying degree of experience. Dawn, who has been teaching classes for several years around Delmarva and has a fantastic website full of her pieces, designed this piece exclusively for Poplar Hill Mansion. The classes are intended for beginner artists of all ages and backgrounds. We think we had blessings as we even had one of the Sisters attending from the convent just down the street. Everyone did a fantastic job with their art works and they were even a few creative color choices which looked great. Our next and final class is scheduled for June 7th and will feature a summer piece.

These classes are a part of a Community Arts Development Project Grant form the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council in the amount of $1000. This grant is made possible from SWAC, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Boogie Back to the 70s Tea

Posted on by popftw

As part of our 50th Anniversary year-long celebrations, Poplar Hill hosted a 70s inspired tea at the Mansion. Guests were encouraged to wear their best 1970s attire and enjoy the special menu, which included Cheese Fondue Soup, Cucumber Sandwiches, Ham Salad Sandwiches, Quiche Loraine, Chicken and Mushroom Vol au Vents, Tropical Pineapple Scones, Banana Chip Bars, Rainbow Jell-o Bars, Mini Black Forest Cakes, and Russian Tea. We even gave a prize for best dressed which was a gift card to Fratelli’s (they’ve been in business almost as long as we have). A great time was had by all those who attended, especially our winner for best dressed, Deb Breda (pictured center). We knew this year’s celebrations were going to be a lot of fun!

Storytime at the Mansion

Posted on by popftw

Poplar Hill Mansion is so happy to announce that we have begun a partnership with the Wicomico Public Library to have Storytime at the Mansion throughout the year. We had two last year for Halloween and Christmas and they were so successful that we are going to continue the partnership and start doing them on a regular basis at the Mansion. Storytime is geared towards ages 10 and under. Our next Storytime is March 23 when you can bring the kids and join Karen Earp, from the Wicomico County Library, Paul Sarbanes Branch, for Springtime Storytime at the Mansion. We’ll be reading a story, singing songs, and have an activity for the children to take with them. Poppy, the Poplar Hill Sheep will be helping to celebrate the first day of Spring! The Storytime events will be held throughout the year with one on May 17 all about flowers, June 21 celebrating Juneteenth, and July 19 National Ice Cream Day (there will be a special treat for all those who attend in July, which is also in conjunction with our Pool Party!).

Painting at Poplar Hill

Posted on by popftw

Our second painting class in a series of four, was recently held at the Mansion. The second featured artist Jessica Schlegel doing a piece, Winter Dusk with students from a varying degree of experience. The classes are intended for beginner artists of all ages (we even had an 11 year old inspiring artist come with her Dad). Jessica is the proprietor of J.L. Schlegel Art in Salisbury and specializes in watercolors. She has been featured in numerous galleries around the Eastern Shore. Everyone did a fantastic job with their art works and they were even a few creative alterations which looked great. Our next class is scheduled for April and will feature a spring piece.

These classes are a part of a Community Arts Development Project Grant form the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council in the amount of $1000. This grant is made possible from SWAC, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

2025 is a Year of Celebration!

Posted on by popftw

We are kicking off celebrating 50 years as a Museum! In 1975, the Friends of Poplar Hill Mansion were formed as a Commission of the City of Salisbury and a non-profit to help establish Salisbury’s oldest house to be a history museum open to the public to tell the story of Salisbury’s early history. Over the last 50 years, the museum has evolved and grown so much, and we are so excited to be able to celebrate the hard work and dedication of all the employees, volunteers, and contributors who have made Poplar Hill Mansion what it is today. This year is going to be our best year ever! We have so many fun and commemorative events planned for the year including a special themed 1970s Tea, a Gala to celebrate our 50th Anniversary, a Birthday Party in partnership with the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, and Christmas will feature decorations inspired by the 1970s! In addition, we are opening a new exhibit on the Second Floor to show the history of the Mansion as a museum. In continuing with our mission as a museum, also look for some restoration projects this year such as Phase II of our Siding Project, repainting the main hallway on the first floor back to the Huston Era, and expanding our award winning Surgery Room Exhibit. The past 50 years have been extraordinary and we are looking forward to next 50 years with a lot of optimism and plans to keep Poplar Hill Mansion the best museum in Wicomico County!

Field Trips!

Posted on by popftw

We are so happy to be welcoming back field trips to the Mansion! We have had all different levels coming to the Mansion to learn about life in the early 1800s. This week we are welcoming the 5th Grade Class from Fruitland Intermediate and the 1st Grade Class from Westside Primary. We have also had 8th Graders visit, and are also planning programs for 11th and 12th Graders. We can actually cater tours to any level and have an interactive activity for the students to complete while they tour the Mansion. The 5th Graders will be completing a crossword puzzle with the answers being given during the tour to engage the students and help them learn. As for younger students, like the First Graders, we will be making whirligigs. This was a popular toy from the early 1800s using a circular disc and string. The Students then get to keep the items as a souvenir of their visit. We are trying to encourage as many field trips as possible to the Mansion. Did you know that each school is responsible for paying for field trips? This means that some schools in Wicomico County may not be able to visit due to transportation costs. If you would like to make a donation to help cover these costs, you can make a special donation to Poplar Hill Mansion and we will let schools and student programs know that assistance is available. We want every student to be able to experience the history in their back yard, no matter the cost.

We Now Accept Credit Cards!

Posted on by popftw

Poplar Hill is happy to announce that we now accept credit cards! We’ve started using Square, so now you can make donations, pay for ticketed events, buy things in our gift shop, renew your membership all via your credit or debit cards. We hope this will make things a little easier for our guests as more and more places are going paperless and people are not carrying cash around. Don’t worry, you can still use good old fashioned cash or checks to make purchases and donate to the museum, but we know a lot of people have asked about using cards. This also means that the museum will be accepting and encouraging advanced payments for our reservation only events like our teas and the new paint classes, along with a very special event coming next year. We are excited about this step forward.

*Please note that if you should use a credit card to book private events such as a party or wedding, we will be adding on an extra 3% service charge to cover the fees from Square.

PHM Awarded Grant from SWAC

Posted on by popftw

The Friends of Poplar Hill Mansion are so happy to announce that they were the recipient of Community Arts Development Project Grant form the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council in the amount of $1000. This grant is made possible from SWAC, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The grant funds will be used for a new program at PHM, Four Seasons of Painting at Poplar Hill, in which Poplar Hill Mansion will host an afternoon of painting during each of the four seasons. Each artist instructor for the four classes will teach painting techniques in either acrylic or watercolor for a specific image of their choosing, which will reflect either the season or historic beauty of the Mansion or time period.

The first class will take place on October 12th. This class will feature Jeanne Brown as the instructor. Mrs. Brown is a Bob Ross Certified Instructor and worked with the man himself. She will teach one of Ross’ more famous beginner paintings of the Majestic Peaks landscape. This class is designed for beginners and should take about 3 hours. All supplies and materials needed are supplied with your admission. Seating is limited to 12 people.