It was about a year ago that the Total Eclipse emerged over Jamestown, PA on April 8, 2024. We will never forget it because about nine months before the Eclipse, we got a call from Peggy Mazyck, now retired CEO of the Visit Mercer, PA organization. She called and said, you are getting a total eclipse next Spring, and if you have the time, you should consider holding some kind of watch party to allow people to come to Mercer County from all over the United States to view it. The total eclipse will not return to Jamestown, PA again in our lifetime.”
Now Peggy had become a friend and a mentor to us. So, we took her seriously and planned an amazing Watch Party that attracted close to 200 people from 15 states, Puerto Rico, and Spain (and we have the signed map to prove it). It was the first time we realized that people were willing to get on their phones and computers to search for the Gibson House Manor in Jamestown, PA and then book tickets for the event sight unseen. Wow. We made some wonderful new friends that day, witnessed the most incredible eclipse most of us had ever seen, and connected with a few hundred strangers in a way that is hard to explain. But it opened our eyes (as Friends of the Manor Charitable Trust) that it was possible to bring hundreds of people to Jamestown, PA if the event was worth the drive.
Since the Eclipse of April 2024, we have held more than 300 events at the Manor: Underground Railroad Tours with a delicious lunch, Candlelight Ghost Tours (more of those coming soon), our very first Victorian Christmas Around the World Tours and so much more. The feedback we received in 2024 led us to decide to increase the number of days we were open and increase the number of events we hosted at the Manor beginning in 2025.
Our mission, since January 2023 when we formed, is historic preservation of known historic landmarks, with the Manor being our first project, but the main mission was converting the Manor into a Historic Visitors Center that is open 358 days per year (we will be closed Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) as a historic museum and event center that provides real and entertaining history and culture in a gracious setting.
We are also constantly revising and enhancing our calendar as we are approached by musicians, lecturers, historians, authors and other enthusiasts who find the Manor a fascinating piece of architecture and history worth exploring. A few new items on our April, May, June 2025 agenda and a “Save the Date” for August:
1. We are curating our Underground Railroad Tours for the Summer to give more emphasis on certain aspects of the tour based on visitor feedback. So, beginning on Sunday, May 4th, our Underground Railroad Tour will start with a full Brunch Buffet every Sunday with tours at 11 am and 12:45 pm (open from 11 am to 2 pm). We want people to relax and enjoy their Sunday by hosting the Brunch on the main floor of the Manor followed by the tour. If you have guests visiting the area, Sundays at the Manor might be a lovely day and place to bring your guests for a historic tour in a gracious setting.
2. Beginning on Monday, May 5th we are experimenting with a “lightly guided” tour that includes a docent answering questions along with a Scavenger Hunt Program that allows guests to tour the house, discover all the interesting facts for themselves and use our paid and volunteer docents to ask questions. We have heard that some people do not like to walk through the Manor on a tightly guided tour all the time. So if that is you, Mondays may be your best bet for the Underground Railroad Tour/Scavenger Hunt/Lightly Guided Tour and Lunch.
3. Beginning Tuesday, May 6th, Mr. Samuel Clemens has promised to make a regular Tuesday and Saturday appearance on the tour to talk about his connection to Dr. and Mrs. Gibson and share a little bit about his connection to the Abolitionist movement, the end of slavery and his observations about the human condition. We will also still have our regular Underground Railroad Tour on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
4. Beginning Thursday, May 8th, Mrs. Anita Carr has promised to make a regular appearance on the daily Underground Railroad tour to talk about her discoveries about the codes that women sewed into quilts before, during and after the Civil War. We will also be featuring some of Mrs. Carr’s quilt squares in the new Gift Shop in the Lodge, and we are now offering quilts for sale in our gift shop also. We will still have our regular Underground Railroad Tour on Thursdays as well.
5. We will continue our Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Underground Railroad Tours as scheduled from 11 am to 2 pm with tours at 11 am and 12:45 pm.
6. Sometime in April we are hosting a group of paranormal enthusiasts who have already toured the Manor in March 2025. They will be staying in the Manor with a few members of our docents/board of directors overnight to record sounds and voices they hear in every part of the house. Then on Saturday, October 4th, we will be hosting a dinner and lecture by Steve Nolte, president of the group and his colleagues. They will share video clips of what they experienced at the Manor in 2025. Dinner will be included from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. Tickets are by reservation only. Limit to 45 people. They have also agreed to assist with the Candlelight Ghost Tours on Saturday, October 18th and Saturday, October 25th. Limit 100 people on each tour. By reservation only. Buffet dinner included on all three Saturday nights. Tickets $27 each. Note, they had one experience in the Carriage House in March 2025 with a voice answering one of their questions. That recording was captured and will be aired all three days in October. Reservations call or text 724.456.4983.
7. We have put the word out to close to 80 school districts in Pennsylvania and Ohio that we are open for School Tours year around and also have developed a Teacher’s Guide to help teachers prepare for their Underground Railroad Tour at the Manor. We are also offering free Familiarization tours to administrators so that you can come to the Manor and experience the tour for yourself and design the tour to meet your students and teachers needs. If you want to book a school tour or a Familiarization Tour, please contact Kathy at 724.456.4983.
8. Our first British High Tea (not at Christmas) in our new series is on Friday, March 28th from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. It is part Victorian Afternoon Tea and part High Tea (working man’s dinner). We are serving tea all through the main floor so you can take what you would like to eat and find a quiet corner to eat and chat with friends. We have also invited Alyssa Passavento, a talented harpist, to play for us while you are enjoying tea. We also have one on Friday, April 25th. Reservations required. You may also request a certain table or room. We have been asked to consider moving these to a Saturday or Sunday so that anyone who works on Fridays can come to tea on a weekend day. We are exploring that possibility and will let you know.
9. Our first Regional Women’s Life/Balance Series Luncheon begins on Friday, April 11th from 1-3 pm in the Black and White Room at the Manor. We are hosting a lifestyle author, Alexandra Stoddard, who has spent her life writing about living beautifully in the world despite the challenges of everyday life. Free copies of her best seller, “Living a Beautiful Life” Random House 1986, available to the first 30 women who make reservations. Call or text Kathy at 724.456.4983. Our May Work/Life Balance topic has not been finalized. But it is on Friday May 9th from 1-3 pm. We are thinking of hosting a cooking class in our huge commercial kitchen in May or June. We will keep you posted. It also depends on the feedback we get from the women who attend the April Luncheon.
10. Our third International Dinner (France) is on Saturday evening, April 12th from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. This dinner will be served in courses as follows: Appetizers: Mini puff pastry cups filled with brie cheese and raspberries; pâté on toasted French bread slices; fresh fruit. Second course: fresh blended spinach and vegetable soup garnished with sour cream and croutons. Third course: Cassoulet: Served at table at 6:00 pm. Casserole with chicken, sausage, and white beans, with white wine, fresh herbs, and a bread crumb topping. Vegetarian cassoulet without chicken and sausage will also be available. Fourth course: Crepes stuffed with caramelized bananas. Topped with caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry. Final course: Coffee and sweets available after dessert. Dinner ends at 7:30 pm. All reservations will have marked, named seating so that you can request sitting with friends, etc. or alone. Bon appétit!! Ticket cost: $38 Adults / $16 Children 6 to 12 / Children under 6 free. Reservations Required. Limit 65 people. Our fourth dinner is Germany on Saturday evening, May 17th from 4:30 to 7:30 pm.
11. Summer Camp Series beginning Wednesday, June 10, 2025. We are meeting with a few active teachers and retired teachers to put together a history camp curriculum and guide for students ages 11 to 18 at the Manor from 10 am to 2 pm every Wednesday for 10 weeks. It will include snacks, beverages and lunch. The program fee is $27 per camp day. Scholarships are available. We want to give students a chance to test their reading, writing, speaking and presentation skills about the Underground Railroad and the Civil War. We will also explore world history, literature, medicine, nature, politics, music and art of that period. If you want to receive a calendar or help with the camp, please contact Kathy at 724.456.4983.
12. Juneteenth Celebration Dinner on Thursday evening, June 19, 2025 in the Lodge. From 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm with President Lincoln speaking for about 20 minutes but joining us for the entire event. Limited to 45 people. Come hear President Abraham Lincoln speak about his decision to initiate the Civil War, his decision to write and sign the Emancipation Proclamation and the decisions that led to his assassination in April 1865. Typical American buffet dinner with barbecued ribs, fried potatoes, spring mix salad, fresh fruit, hotdogs, potato salad and collard greens and corn muffins. And carrot cake or chocolate cake for dessert. Reservations needed. 724.456.4983. In lieu of our standard ticket price of $27, donations are being accepted toward our school age children scholarship fund to help with transportation costs and ticket prices for children who cannot afford to come to the Manor for our Underground Railroad Tours without some assistance.
13. We are hosting our first Summer Gala for our Donors, Members and Guests on Saturday, August 9th from 6 pm to 10 pm. Semi-formal summer attire, great music, fantastic food, wonderful auction prizes. Tickets are $150 each. The event benefits the Historic Preservation Projects 2025/2026 which includes the renovation of the Lodge, the Belvedere and mansard roof of the Manor, and finally, ground detection radar engineering to mark all five of the underground tunnels underneath the paved parking lot behind the Manor, put in by Dr. and Mrs. Gibson as part of their original house design in 1856. Note: the location of the event is being finalized now.
14. Our new and revised 2025/2026 Membership Renewals and New Memberships are being sent out shortly. Individual Members are $25. Family is $45. Businesses and Organizations are $100 and our brand new “History Lovers Membership” is $65 and gives you tickets to 11 different historical properties besides the Gibson House Manor—yup, includes a ticket to the Heinz History Center! It is a $114 value. Watch your mail for the Membership Program Renewal.
15. Finally, an apology and a correction from the last blog post. I said that over the last thirty years, the Manor had gone through many hands and was somewhat of a mystery in Jamestown in terms of its true purpose. Two people from Jamestown reached out to me to say that even though it might have looked like not much was happening on the outside, there were a lot of devoted people on the inside trying their best to protect and save the building. I do apologize to anyone who thought we were discounting the hard work that had been done over 30 years. What I should have added, is that despite everyone’s best efforts, as of September 26, 2022, the owner of the Manor intended to put the house up for sale through a national historic property auction. And that all the efforts over the previous 30 years were “Not enough.” That was the point when Marguerite and I formed a new fund at the Community Foundation in Sharon, PA and formed the Friends of the Manor Charitable Trust (a PA nonprofit corporation) which took over operation of the Manor in January 2023. We also contacted the owner and asked him to please hold off on the auction since we had started a Capital Campaign to raise at least $1M to buy, maintain and endow the property. He agreed and, in fact, we were extremely successful at raising the money through the Friends of the Manor Charitable Fund and the Community Foundation of WP and EO. We are now well on our way to operating the Manor as a regional and national landmark with events and tours 358 days per year.
That is it for now. If you have an idea for a speaker series or want to speak or perform yourself during one of our events or want to host one of your own events or meetings at the Manor, please contact Kathy to arrange a meeting with our Historic Education Committee chair by calling or texting 724.456.4983 Hope to see you soon and often! A.