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Mansion Monthly 

October 2015

 

Meet me at the Mansion!

Greetings from the Mansion!
Halloween conjures up images of witches, black cats, ghosts, and carved jack-o-lanterns.   However, this antique postcard contains none of these images.  Instead, a little girl holding her dress to avoid the water is ready to bob for apples.  Did you know that the humble apple enjoyed widespread popularity during Victorian Halloween festivities as a way to foretell a maiden's future?  Read more in the Back in the Day column below.

As Halloween approaches, so does the end of the Mansion's regular tour season.  October 15 is the last day to enjoy a regularly scheduled tour.  Tours begin on the hour starting at 10 a.m. and the last tour starts at 4:00 p.m.  During the off season (October 16 - May 14), tours can be arranged by appointment with a 24-hour minimum notice.  Please call the Mansion for details.

During the Mansion's 40th anniversary celebration, we are grateful to all those who helped us over the years reach this milestone.  Such community support serves as a guarantee that the Conrad Mansion Museum will continue to have an important place in Kalispell's history.  Why not consider becoming a member during this anniversary year at a special reduced rate of $40.00?  More information about this offer is found below.   

Thank you for your continued support!

Gennifer, Margot & the Mansion Staff
  
 
Do you yearn to peek behind closed doors, pull open furniture drawers and lift lids?
Pine no more.  We have a special tour designed with you in mind!  The Nooks and Crannies Tour will take you into areas of the Mansion not accessible during regular tours.  Guides will share many other interesting tidbits.  Click here for more information.
 
Friday, October 23 & Saturday, October 24
1:00 p.m.
 
This special tour lasts approximately 1 hour and is limited to 10 people per tour.  Reservations are required.  Tickets are $28 per person. Members: $25.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Board of Directors Announces Special Membership Offer!

In celebration of the Conrad Mansion's 40th Anniversary year as a Museum, all friends of this special historic treasure (individuals, families and businesses) are being offered a One-Time Annual Membership for just $40!  Offer good until July 31, 2016.

Membership includes unlimited free admission for the member, discounted event tickets, 10% discount on Mansion Gift Shop purchases (excluding consignments), monthly emailed newsletters, public recognition of membership and written thanks.  Please click here for details.
 
Back in the Day ... 
A Lass's Future Foretold by an Apple!
Apple Peeling and Seeds - Victorian Fortune Telling Tools

The apple played a role in the Victorian notion of romantic fortune telling, predicting whom you might marry and other future happenings.  In the above postcard, the apple peel with a ring at the top represents the tradition that if a single lady peeled an entire apple and then tossed the peel behind her, the shape the peeling took was said to form the first letter of the first name of her future husband.

Will her future husband be named Simon, Silas, Stephen, Solomon, Stewart or Scott? 

Another way to predict the future for the coming year involved cutting an apple to remove and count the seeds. The key to the number of seeds was:    
  • One seed foretells loneliness of the person,
  • Two seeds foretell early marriage
  • Three seeds foretell legacy
  • Four seeds foretell great wealth
  • Five seeds predict a sea voyage
  • Six seeds predict great fame as an orator or singer
  • Seven seeds indicate possession of the most desired gift.
Finally, during the bobbing for apples game, the first lass to bite an apple was believed to be the first to marry. If this same girl put the bitten apple underneath her pillow, her future mate would appear in her dreams that night.

And you probably thought that an apple a day just kept the doctor away!
 
Another Wonderful Donation
to the Mansion's Gift Shop by Jean Kelly!
  
Gift Shop Manager Cindy unboxing donations as Marlene takes inventory.

Jean Kelly recently contacted the Mansion because her mother was moving to smaller quarters and needed to downsize.  Among the items Jean donated were a silver tea set, Hileman photo prints, china, linens and other vintage items. 
 
The Conrad Mansion Museum accepts donated items to sell in the Gift Shop.  If you have items passed down from great-grandparents or grandparents that you are ready to part with for one reason or another or simply downsizing, please contact the Mansion.
 
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, gifts to the Mansion are recognized with a thank you letter for IRS purposes. The value of the donation is set by the giver.

Please contact the Mansion if you'd like to discuss whether an item you have would be accepted as a donation. All proceeds from the sale of donated items help support the Mansion.
 
NOTE: The Mansion's Gift Shop does not offer appraisal services.
 
 
A Trivia Question...
 
While growing up in the Mansion, young Alicia Ann Conrad scratched her name in the glass of how many windows in the Mansion?

(See the etchings during the
 Nooks and Crannies Tour.)

1.  Two     

   

2.  Three     

 

  3.  Five       

  

Look for the answer in

November's Newsletter.  

 

************* 

 

SEPTEMBER ANSWER:    

 

According to The Inter Lake, on February 9, 1896 - during Grover Cleveland's second term -

 Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Conrad attended a presidential reception in Washington D.C.

Upcoming Events

Friday, October 23, 1 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 1 p.m.
$28 per person

Christmas Teas and Tours
Saturdays: November 28, December 5, 12 & 19
 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
$30 per person

 Thursday, December 10
 4-7 p.m.
$10 per keepsake photo

Thursday, December 17
7 p.m.
$15 per person
Amazon Shoppers Can Help the Mansion!
 

When you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate to Conrad Mansion Directors Inc.

 
Whenever you shop at your local Smith's grocery store,  you can help the Mansion through their Community Rewards Program. 

It's easy to sign up.  Create an on-line Smith's account entering basic information, verifying email and entering your rewards card number and choosing the Conrad Mansion  as the organization you'd like to support. 

Step by step enrollments instructions can be found at www.smithscommunityrewards.com 
You can make a difference!
  
Please consider providing a donation or a lasting personal legacy that will positively impact future generations.  

You can support educational programs, support publications utilizing our documents, and help with brick & mortar projects to maintain the home.
 
As a 501(c)(3) corporation, any contribution to the Museum is tax deductible.
 
Give us a call at 406-755-2166 or visit our website for more information.
At Your Service
  
Executive Director: Gennifer Sauter
Assistant Manager: Margot Jaumotte
Office Admin: Mary Lou Lumpkin
Media Coordinator: Mary Miers
Maintenance: Tisch Haas
Gardener: Dave Leger
Guide & Gift Shop Staff:
Cindy Conner
Sharon Pearson
Michelle Morgan
Virginia Swan
Mary Meister
Karissa White
Shalom Baer
Nancy Helgath
Stephanie Woodland
Marlene Strand
Brit Clark

Board Of Directors:
Sue Corrigan, President
Everit Sliter, Treasurer
Catherine Weber, Secretary
Mark Norley
Teri Iwersen
Beth Collier
Gary Havens
Rita Fitzsimmons
Chris Vick, Family Representative
Carrie Nelson
Katharine Thompson
Mary Pat Murphy
Tia Robbin
Mark Schickendantz

Regular Volunteers:
Teresa Knutson
Sarah Safford
Marlene Strand
Lana Bowers
Miriam Emerson
Lauren Vance
Candace Fish 
Where is this in the Mansion?
 
  There are so many unique items and features of the Mansion!     
  
Do you know where this is? Drop us an email if you know.  Answer will be in next month's newsletter.
  
Last month's image featured a beautiful  "Shieks & Camels" pattern parlor vase lamp probably made during the 1900s when the new Moorish influence and the revival of the book "Arabian Nights" fascinated America.  The lamp now resides in the Violet Bedroom.
  
Conrad Mansion Museum
330 Woodland Avenue
Kalispell, MT  59901

406-755-2166

Small outside pic