(Summer flowers donated by Mary and Howard Ergen, tended by Manor staff and Anita Carr, Historic Education Committee Chair)
We have been having a very busy summer!! In July we hosted our very first summer leadership camp for high school students from across the country. Dates for 2027 are set for the week of June 21, 2027 (High School Summer Camp) and the week of June 28, 2027 for Elementary School Camp. $640 for high school students and $135 for elementary. Scholarships available. Call 724.456.4983 and ask to schedule a meeting with Mark Boot, our Student Education Director. Mark also handles scheduling of all our school tours during the school year and next summer.
We also hosted our very first Summer Gala “Christmas in July” event at the Gatehouse Winery Estate. We had bidders from all over the country and ran out of time at the event after 1.25 hours of bidding. So the remaining items are available here for a final offer:
Grand Prize: Italian Villa in the village of Citta Sant Angelo overlooking the Adriatic Sea (about 1.5 hours’ drive from Rome). Sleeps 6. Full kitchen, living room, dining room and outdoor rooftop terrace. Two story walk up from charming village street. Car park is about 100’ walk after unloading your car in the street. Incredible views of the Adriatic (about 7 miles by car). Walk to restaurants, produce markets, meat, fish and fresh pasta and fresh gelato markets all minutes from the in-town villa. Fresh espresso and croissants every morning in the town square. An unforgettable Italian getaway. Daily tour guide to escort to regional sights, train station routes, souvenir shopping by non-resident house manager who speaks English and fluent Italian. Value: $2570 for one week between September 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027 (some weeks in 2027 blocked out already). Buy it Now: $2570. Enter your buy it now offer on our Donate!!! Button on our home page. GibsonHouseManor.org.
Second Prize: Full four course dinner for 6 people including wine pairings for each course at the Iroquois Club in Conneaut Lake, PA overlooking the lake on the east side of the lake (great sunsets). Sponsored by member Cris Loutzenheiser. Value: $1500. Buy it Now: $1500. Enter your buy it now offer on our Donate!!! Button on our home page. GibsonHouseManor.org.
Third Prize: International Dinner any date in 2026 or 2027 still remaining for a party of 8. Includes authentic menus from the featured country along with wine pairings. Gibson House Manor Museum and Historic Event Center. Jamestown PA. Value: $300. Buy it Now: $300. Enter your buy it now offer on our Donate!!! Button on our home page. GibsonHouseManor.org.
Fourth Prize: Victorian Afternoon Tea for up to 8 guests in one of the Gibson House Manor Museum private dining rooms…savory sandwiches, fresh baked scones and clotted Cream and locally produced jellies and honey, fresh fruit, sweet chocolate and lemon tea cakes, Gatehouse Winery mimosas and champagne. Value: $300. Buy it Now: $300. Enter your buy it now offer on our Donate!!! Button on our home page. GibsonHouseManor.org.
42 Antique glass Christmas ornaments from Poland, Germany, England, Japan and the United States. Value per ornament: $20-$100. Starting bid on all ornaments: Buy it Now: $30 donation to the Manor. Enter your buy it now offer on our Donate!!! Button on our home page. GibsonHouseManor.org.
Our International Dinners are slowing down in format…so everyone can linger over appetizers, drinks, supper and conversation with wonderful music and laughter filtering all through the house. Our next dinner is Thursday September 17th at 5:30 pm and the featured country is Switzerland. It is the one dinner where we pull out all the fondue pots (new ones just found!) and we will sit country style all through the dining area on the first floor of the Gibson House Manor having appetizers, beef and pork, platters of blanched vegetables and roasted potatoes to dip in cheese fondue and fruit, pound cake and sweet treats to dip in chocolate. Our cheese fondue, hot oil fondue and chocolate fondue is only served once a year in September. You won’t find anything like this anywhere! No lederhosen required! $38/person for adults and $16 for children 6-16. Tickets on Gibsonhousemanor.org. Dinner starts at 5:30 pm.
Jamestown Fair Tour Special: $5 per person. We get so many visitors coming back to Jamestown PA the week of the fair that we are offering $5 tours all week long. Come check out the “Mark Twain Manor” as every local resident still calls it…even if they moved away 40 years ago! We love to hear the stories! A few weeks ago the class of 1956 from Greenville High School came to see us. Of the five alums, four had been to the Manor in the past and most waited 50 years to come back again! We love to hear your “I remember the Manor when stories….”
The Manor will be open every day in August and September from 11 am to 2 pm. Call 724.456.4983 Reservation Line to hold tickets. Plus we will stay open after the Jamestown Fair Parade from 2-4:30 pm if you’d like to catch the tour or grab a souvenir from the Gift Shop or enjoy a leisurely coffee or chai from our Spillway Cafe Espresso Bar.
Candlelight Lockdown…the boys are back! The last night of the Fair is the kickoff of our Candlelight Tour Ghost Season. Come share in our first Paranormal investigation of the season that means you are locked in with our other guests while the men from “Three
Souls Paranormal guide guests through an actual investigation of the Manor overnight. Well, until 2 am. Dinner and snacks and all equipment included. Tickets can be purchased on our website gibsonhousemanor.org. Questions about the event or lockdown nights in October, call our Reservation Line at 724.456.4983.
Our Gift Shop inside the Manor is restocking for the holidays and the fair. When you come for the tour, be sure to check out our Gift Shop and Spillway Cafe! Open 11 am to 2 pm daily in the Lodge.
Our Victorian Afternoon Tea and Mimosa’s at the Manor feature our signature Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, Cucumber and Cream Cheese Spread, fresh baked orange and cranberry scones with clotted cream and assorted jellies and jams and assorted tea cakes for dessert. Besides British tea served at table; we offer delicious complimentary mimosas and a leisurely tour of the house and grounds afterwards. Our Victorian Tea in August is Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 1:30 pm and our September Tea is Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 1:30 pm. In September we will be featuring Alyssa Pesavento, harpist! Tickets are on our website at gibsonhousemanor.org.
We feature guided American History/Underground Railroad tours of the Manor every day in August and September 2026 from 11 am to 2 pm and later if you are bringing a group and make special arrangements in advance. Learn about the history of Dr and Mrs Gibson and their amazing work in Jamestown PA. Including the house they designed and built in 1856 that is 95% original architecture, including 11 places in the house and grounds designed to hide and protect slaves. Tour ticket pricing and availability at gobsonhousemanor.org or calling 724.456.4983.
And finally, we are big fans of the “Magnolia Journal.” Their manifesto and our Mission Statement are very similar. As we come to the end of summer, we leave you with an excerpt from their gracious last page of this month’s “Magnolia” magazine:
“…We believe in friendship, because friends who feel like family are the best kind of friends, and that nothing matters more than family. We believe in seeking the balance between hustle and rest and learning to find contentment in both. We believe everyone deserves a seat at the table, and everyone has a story worth telling. We believe in human kindness, knowing we are all made better when we work together….”
New slate coasters in our Gift Shop, a gift from the workshop of Al (and Heather) Hough, Grove City, PA.
