I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
-Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol”
This is my favorite time of the year in Jamestown, PA.
Christmas is coming, and the season of Advent is upon us. The weather is wintry (we got 8-10” of snow last week and I personally had drifts of 24” up to my front door)….people are friendly…there is not a shop or store I walk into that people are not kind and smiling and wishing me Merry Christmas….church is filled to capacity and the season of Advent is filled with giving opportunities and “good tidings of great joy”….the Gibson House Manor is decorated for Christmas and open for Victorian Christmas Around the World Tours….we had more than 30 volunteers, guests, staff and donors who came to the Manor for two weeks in November to decorate the Manor for Christmas. It was so amazing to watch each of the 14 rooms transform into the traditions of 14 different countries around the world that emigrated to America in the 1800’s.
Our guests brought ornaments and décor from their homes (on loan and donated), we had regional employers and organizations who brought their staff and guests to the Manor to “adopt” a room and decorate it in the theme of that country (a special shout out to Jamestown Coating Technologies, St. Paul’s Retirement Village, Jamestown Area Middle School and History Teachers Mark Wyant and Taylor Pearce, Atlantic Friends and Flowers Club and Walberg Family Pharmacies) and to very special volunteers and staff who kept everyone informed and supported and did extra tweaking when needed to finish all the rooms (Kathy and Conrad Kost, Anita, George and Ivan Carr, Marguerite and John Scullin, Abigail Evans—our College History Intern, Erma Weaver-our house manager with Marvin Weaver and Sam Byler).
But the greatest joy of the season has been opening the Manor to good friends, new visitors and old friends, donors, volunteers who have come to the Manor to buy a tour ticket or attend an event in support of our historic education/historic preservation mission. We are so grateful to our patrons and donors who have made this year a year to remember. By December 31, 2024, we expect to have achieved more than $120,000 in operating income from our Underground Railroad Tours, our Candlelight Tours, our Victorian Christmas Tours and our Historic Preservation Fundraising Events and Private Catering Events, Membership, Individual donations and grants. What is so remarkable about this is that it is only our second year as a newly formed non-profit corporation and we are completely indebted to our donors and members and guests who have helped us achieve this incredible goal. Our goal for 2025 is to achieve $200,000 in operating income from Historic Education and Historic Preservation events and activities. With the help of our staff, donors, members and guests and our fantastic board of directors, we expect to achieve that goal as well (we will keep you posted). In the meantime, we wish you and yours a joyful, peaceful, inspiring holiday season and blessings to all of you! AFB
The following is our calendar for the rest of the Holiday Season, and you can also obtain a 2025 calendar on our website or by calling or texting Kathy Kost at 724.456.4983. Call or text Kathy for reservations to the public events below or to inquire about rentals for 2025:
December 13 (Friday): Private Christmas Party 5-8 pm for 75 people
December 14 (Saturday): Private Christmas Party 9 am-12 pm for 70 people
December 14 (Saturday): Public Christmas Tours of Victorian Christmas Around the World (5-7 pm) $10, $8 and $5 tickets. Includes hot beverages and homemade Christmas cookies and a self-guided tour of our 14 countries and their Christmas traditions. Call 724.456.4983 for reservations. Space is limited.
December 15 (Sunday): Private Christmas Party 1-5 pm for 70 people
December 17 (Tuesday): Private Christmas Party for 22 people
December 20 (Friday): Public Christmas Tours of Victorian Christmas Around the World (5-7 pm) $10, $8 and $5 tickets. Includes hot beverages and homemade Christmas cookies and a self-guided tour of our 14 countries and their Christmas traditions. Call 724.456.4983 for reservations. Space is limited.
December 21 (Saturday); Public Christmas Party at the Manor—come enjoy food appetizers and dinner food from around the world and enjoy our 14 rooms decorated with traditions from Victorian England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Hungary, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Norway. This fundraiser is to help build our scholarship fund for school-age children to learn about the Underground Railroad who can’t afford tickets or transportation to attend the tours. Tickets are $45 each. Call 724.456.4983 for reservations. Live music from around the world by Ruth Herrick.
December 27 (Friday): Underground Railroad Tour prior to High Tea 1:00 pm. Come enjoy one of the few Underground Railroad Tours of the season and then enjoy our high tea afterwards. Reservations required: $38 per person. Call 724.456.4983.
December 27 (Friday): Christmas British High Tea—come enjoy a working man’s Christmas dinner in England at our lovely High Tea. $38 per person. Includes wine or a champagne Mimosa from Gatehouse Winery’s wine collection. 2:30 pm seating and 5:30 pm seating. Reservations required. Call 724.456.4983.
December 28 (Saturday): Underground Railroad Tour and Lunch 11:00 am. Starts in Lodge and ends upstairs with lunch in Black and White Room. Come enjoy the UGRR tour while your guests are visiting this holiday weekend.
December 28 (Saturday): Private Holiday Dinner 1-5 pm Lodge for 61 people.
January 3 (Friday): Final Public Christmas Tours of Victorian Christmas Around the World (5-7 pm) $10, $8 and $5 tickets. Includes hot beverages and homemade Christmas cookies and a self-guided tour of our 14 countries and their Christmas traditions. Call 724.456.4983 for reservations. Space is limited.
January 4 (Saturday): Final Public Christmas Tours of Victorian Christmas Around the World (5-7 pm) $10, $8 and $5 tickets. Includes hot beverages and homemade Christmas cookies and a self-guided tour of our 14 countries and their Christmas traditions. Call 724.456.4983 for reservations. Space is limited.
Christmas decorations will be taken down the week of January 6th. Regular Historic Visitor’s Center Events begin Saturday, January 11th with breakfast served starting at 9:00 am and tours beginning at 9:15 am, 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 12:15 pm and 1:15 pm. All UGRR tours include breakfast or lunch. Ticket prices are $27 each for 2025. Lower prices available for groups of 10 or more.
Friends of the Manor Charitable Trust Board of Directors 2024-2025:
Anita Brattina, Chair
Marguerite Scullin, Vice Chair and Secretary
Jim Brown, Vice Chair Finance
Anita Carr, Vice Chair Historic Education
Pat Fry, Vice Chair Historic Education and Gift Shop
Alan Endicott, Vice Chair Historic Preservation Fundraising and Construction
Tina Cascio, Vice Chair Historic Preservation Fundraising and Bylaws
Monica Adametz, Vice Chair Historic Preservation Fundraising and Private Events
Stephanie Yackovich, Vice Chair Marketing and Membership
Brenda Dare, Vice Chair Membership and Heinz History Center Liaison
Directors at Large Dec. 2022-2026: Esther McClimans, Marcia de Kramer, Judy Leary (Corresponding Secretary), Mary Jane Fenton (Square Income Treasurer), Margaret Valesky Anderson, Fred Just, Neal Leskovic, Tony Naples.