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November 2013 
In This Issue
Trip Advisor
New Closing Time
Preschool Palette
Thank You
Programs
Stairwell Update
Garden Club of Virginia
Trip Advisor
Thanks to our visitors!


New Closing Time
Through March 31, the Museum will be closing at 4 p.m. Staff offices and the Stafford County Visitor Center closing time will remain 5 p.m.  


In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Museum and Stafford County Visitor Center will be closed November 28 & 29.

In the News
Belmont is the backdrop for this stunning high school senior portrait photo shoot featured in The Washington Post.
PRESCHOOL PALETTE
Children ages 2-5 enjoy a story, garden walk, hands-on art project, and a visit to the art gallery or historic house.
 
November's theme is White Shoes
 

 

Nov 5 & 8  

    
Schedule through December

Classes run from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

$8/child (Members $5), adults free, pre-register by contacting Education and Communications Manager Michelle Crow-Dolby or 540/654-1851.

Thank You

 

A New Garden Bench


Belmont recently installed a beautiful new garden bench, given in recognition of the July 13 garden wedding of Kathie Klemmer Lilley and Barry Holliday. Funds to acquire the bench were donated by over a dozen friends and family members.

....and a refurbished one
  

 After deciding where to place the newly-donated Holliday family bench, Belmont staff painted and relocated a garden bench given in 1987 in memory of former docent Katherine S. Leu. This bench, with a freshly engraved dedication plaque, now greets guests near the Visitor Center.


PROGRAMS

Director's Tour
November 3, 2 p.m. 

Photo by Peter Chihelka/The Free Lance-Star
Behind-the-scenes tour led by Director David Berreth.  Included with museum admission.  Reservations required at 540/654-1840 or [email protected].

Woodland Hike 
Sunday, November 24, 2 p.m.

 
Led by Virginia Master Naturalists, this informative free hike covers a mile o
f trails in both woodlands and fields and touches on the historic ruins of Belmont's past. Please wear sturdy footwear and meet outside the Visitor Center. 

STAIRWELL UPDATE

In 2011 the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM) created Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program and Belmont's beautiful wrought iron stair case was selected for inclusion on the inaugural endangered list.

 

The VAM listing encouraged a more thorough study of the railing in preparation for fundraising to conserve the artifact. A $2,500 study, paid for with funds from the Margaret Walker Purinton Foundation, was conducted by Kreilick Conservation, a respected Philadelphia firm specializing in metal conservation.
   

Based on his examination of style, materials and workmanship, Kreilick surmised that the railing was probably made in a northern, possibly Philadelphia, workshop in the 1840s and brought to Belmont by then owner Joseph Ficklen, who traveled there frequently on business. No obvious identifying marks can be found, and the workshop cannot be better determined until the conservation work begins, which requires the railing to be removed to a climate controlled conservation lab for further examination and treatment.  

 

Circa 1927 photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston 
In addition, the supporting stone foundation and curved sandstone stairs are in need of major repair as well, and must be rebuilt before the ironwork can be returned and remounted.    
The estimated cost for restoration of the metal work is $50,000. The stone stair repairs will cost another $45,000. Museum staff is currently seeking private funds to restore the railing and steps to their former glory.

 

GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA

Belmont Marks 20 Years of Garden Restoration Projects  

  

On September 29, Belmont celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first garden restoration project supported by the Garden Club of Virginia, which has been followed by regular support for additional projects.

 

Attending were past and current GCV and Restoration Committee officers and board members, representatives of the GCV-affiliated Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, and University of Mary Washington officials.  

 

    

Pictured left to right are Charles Schutte, GCV Past President Betty Schutte, Past President and former Restoration Committee Chair Helen Murphy, Tayloe Murphy, Restoration Committee member Jean Gilpin and Tom Gilpin.

Education and Communications Manager
Newsletter Editor
Museum main number: 540/654-1015
Visit our website!

Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont was the home and studio of prominent portraitist and American Impressionist painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932) from 1916 until his death. The 18th century Georgian mansion, outbuildings, and formal gardens were modified and expanded to serve as an elegant country retreat for the artist and his wife, who had left their longtime European home at the outbreak of WWI.  Melchers was one of the most respected artists of his generation. Upon Corinne Melchers' death in 1955, the property and all its contents were deeded to the Commonwealth of Virginia, making Belmont one of the most complete and authentic artists' homes in America.  

 

Administered by the University of Mary Washington, the museum is accredited by the  American Alliance of Museums, is a National Historic Landmark, and is included in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Artists' Homes and Studios consortium.

 

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