Northshore Home

Fall 2015

Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.

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34 FALL 2015 Now, visiting the Georgian Colonial–style house is a "tour of discovery" that allows people to really see and understand what it was like to live in the past. There are no barriers in any of the rooms, and visitors have free-flow access to the house. Although guides are available to answer ques- tions, visitors are encouraged to explore, discover, and interpret the house and its stories on their own. There are even interactive experiences, such as one that lets visitors try their hand at folding decorative napkin sculptures in the butler's pantry. The Ropes Mansion was home to four generations of the Ropes family, who left behind not only their home and furnishings spanning the 18th and 19th centuries but also a huge family archive of letters, business ledg- ers, photographs, diaries, and other materials, which are housed in PEM's Phillips Library. That archive allowed the curators to create intimate snapshots of period rooms in astonishing detail. The dining room, for instance, is set for Christmas dinner in 1847, based on a letter from Sally Fisk Ropes Orne describing how she celebrated. The kitchen con- tains some of Sally's recipes, written in her own hand- Rooms have been appointed in accordance with descriptions found in letters and other memorabilia. inspire nshoremag.com/nshorehome/

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