We are undergoing the final phase in our paint and plaster restoration and repair on the first floor of the Mansion and in the stairwell. John and Dana are at it again! John has been hard at work doing all the plaster repair in the Surgery Room and Main Staircase. Over the years, some of the plaster has separated on the lower half of the walls. Someone had attempted to repair these cracks before, but did not use the proper historic technique. John, who has a specialty in historic homes, has been doing a great job repairing previous repair attempts and doing it the proper way. With all of his work progressing nicely, Dana was once again able to come in and work her magic with the paint. Once again, using the paint analysis done several years ago, we were able to restore the Surgery Room back to the Huston Era. The room is described as being bright with a greenish paint over the golden ochre below the chair rail and marbling similiar to what would have been in the connecting room (the Butler’s Closet) between the Surgery Room and the Parlor. The crown molding and the chair rail also had specific coloration that had to be followed. Through some trial and error, Dana came up with colors that pretty well match exactly what was being described. The lower half of the room was especially an interesting transformation and finding just the right shades of gold and green was a lot of work. Dana used the same technique on the walls as she did in the Parlor to make the room light and bright. The outcome was a total transformation of the Surgery Room and it looks amazing!

Did you know that Poplar Hill Mansion is considered Salisbury’s most haunted house? At least five permanent spirits are thought to be in the house with many more who come and go. Not surprising, considering the Mansion was the home of Dr. John Huston, who conducted many surgeries right in the house and the amount of people who have died in the house over its 225 year history. PHM recently participated in International Ghost Hunting Day by hosting the Phantom Detectives investigation team. They came in to see if they could find any evidence of the spirits who dwell in the Mansion. Part of their team includes a psychic medium who visits sites blindly without knowing the history. She instantly picked up on the presence of prominent man and his wife. In fact, she sensed multiple spirits in the house including children and an enslaved man, all with a positive energy. Their equipment also picked up several spirits in the house and their spirit boxes voiced words that seemed to coincide with what we know of the history of the house and those who lived and died here. We look forward to seeing the results of their full investigation. If you want to learn more about the haunted history of Poplar Hill, we are hosting several events for Halloween, including our popular Annual Halloween Party on the night of October 28^th. We are also having an event just for the kids on October 29^th from 12:00-2:00. Our Jack O’Lantern Jubilee will have games, costume parade, pumpkin painting, movies, fun prizes, and more. That evening we are excited to announce that we have partnered with the Community Players of Salisbury as they present Edgar Allen Poe: Master of Terror, a show featuring memorized, word-for-word telling of The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Black Cat, as well as a special presentation of W.W. Jacobs’ story, The Monkey’s Paw. For more information about upcoming events be sure to visit our Facebook page.

The museum is premiering a new temporary exhibit during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month entitled “The Influence of Asian Art During the Federal Period.” This exhibit explores the trade between America and China (and other Asian nations) in the early 1800s. Did you know that in the early 1800s China actually imported more American goods than America did from China? Do you know what the most important export to China was?

There had always been a general American, especially among the wealthy, desire for foreign and sometimes exotic wares, and, with the British East India Company no longer the dominant force in American trade, after the American War for Independence, the job of satisfying this demand fell to American merchants. It did not take long to realize that, while selling American goods to the Chinese was undoubtedly profitable, selling Chinese goods in America would be considerably more so. What resulted was the flooding of Chinese teas, cotton, silks, rhubarb, cassia, nankeens (durable, yellow cloth), floor-matting, lacquerware, fans, furniture, and porcelains, into America, to the extent that even those of poor social classes possessed some Chinese items.

These items became so popular, in fact, that European manufacturers mimicked Asian art. Chinoiserie (“Chinese-like”) describes the pseudo-Chinese decorative style which flourished in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was based on a fanciful European interpretation of “Chinese” styles, taken from countries all over East Asia, including China, Korea and Japan. Most Western consumers were quite unable to distinguish Chinese from Korean or Japanese imagery. For them, the attraction of Chinoiserie lay in its Far Eastern exoticism. Porcelain ware was especially popular – especially the blue and white porcelain associated with the era of Ming Dynasty art (1368-1644) – and remained a constant feature of Chinoiserie.

The exhibit features some of these imported goods as well as pieces of Chinoiserie including ceramics, lacquerware, porcelain, embroidery, and silk screening. All the items are from the museum collection and the exhibit will last through 2022.

We would like to give Nancy Robertson a great big thank you as she finishes her terms on the Board of Directors of PHM. Nancy has served two terms (6 years) on the board, including a two your term as Chair. Nancy is a lifelong resident of the Wicomico County on the Eastern Shore and graduated from Wi-Hi. She is retired and enjoys relaxing and spending time with her cats, playing Bingo, and serves on the board of her retirement community. She also has worked with several other local historic organizations such as Wicomico Preservation Trust and the Westside Historical Society. She is currently devoting most of her time to the Whitehaven Heritage Association where she is heading efforts to restore the roof on the Whitehaven Church. For more information about those efforts please visit, www.whitehavenheritage.com. We want to wish Nancy the best of luck in her future endeavors!!!

Poplar Hill Mansion is pleased to announce that our restroom facilities now comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The restoom looks great and now features handlebars, automatic flush system, automatic sink, hand dryer, paper towel dispenser, a brighter light, and baby changing station. There is also an automatic door with a wider entrance and no step down. Thank you to the City of Salisbury for funding the renovation and Paige Industries for doing the work.