
01/01/2023
Happy New Year from all of us at Dumbarton House! 🎇 We are looking forward to an exciting new year in 2023! We look forward to seeing you soon!
Welcome to Dumbarton House, a 1799 Federal period historic house museum in Georgetown, DC.
Dumbarton House serves as the headquarters of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. The mission of Dumbarton House, headquarters of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, is to support the organization’s Corporate Societies and their members, to maintain its historic museum property, and to enhance the cultural life of Washington, D.C. Through the interpretation of
its historic site and collections, Dumbarton House promotes the understanding of historic preservation and of the early history of our nation, so that the lives and ideals of early Americans inspire present and future generations.
Temporarily closed
Happy New Year from all of us at Dumbarton House! 🎇 We are looking forward to an exciting new year in 2023! We look forward to seeing you soon!
One of the ways that people in the 19th century would have celebrated the coming of the new year would have been with wassailing. Wassail is a warmed, mulled cider or wine, which would then be carried in a large bowl. People would walk from house to house, singing songs and offering a warm drink in exchange for treats or gifts. The origins of wassailing are quite old - it was a popular practice in medieval Britain, with some tracing its roots to pre-Christian Europe. Today, the practice has mostly been replaced with caroling, but nothing stops you from enjoying a nice bowl of wassail and caroling!
Image: The Wassail Bowl. From the December 22, 1860, issue of The Illustrated London News
Some say that for the new year, you should put out the old and bring in the new! Since we're a museum, we generally like to keep our old things - but change is afoot at Dumbarton House! With some help from our friends at Tudor Place Historic House & Garden we took down our old exhibitions and put them into storage while we prep our new Education Center this winter. There will be loads of new stuff in the spring but plenty of old things as well.
P.S. Can you spot Joe supervising? 😉
It sure is chilly outside! 🥶 To help keep themselves warm, people in the 19th century relied heavily on their fireplaces. 🔥If you use a fireplace regularly, you'll also recognize this item: a pair of bellows! Bellows help stoke fires by giving them extra oxygen to help them burn. Not all bellows in the 19th century would have been decorated like this painted pair, but it does add a bit of fancy flair while trying to flare up the fire! 😉
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours from all of us here at Dumbarton House! We wish you all the best this holiday and all those in this holiday season!🎄🎁❄️🎅☃️
Merry Christmas Eve from everyone here at Dumbarton House. In the 19th century, Christmas was often enjoyed with a large feast. And while we haven't been able to decorate the museum with the Christmas feast we usually do, we did want to share this lovely video of our table from last year. Sit back with a warm drink tonight and enjoy the holiday! ❄️🎄🎅🎁
We hope everyone had a wonderful solstice yesterday! While you may be unable to tell by the rain here in Washington D.C., it is now officially winter! We may not have snow on the ground now, but that doesn't mean we won't be dreaming of it! Stay safe and tucked in today! ❄️
This winter, while the museum is closed, our staff is going on a bunch of enrichment trips to gain knowledge and inspiration for our interpretation! Last week, we visited President Lincoln's Cottage for a wonderful tour and discussion with their staff! It was an excellent time for us, and we look forward to hosting their team in our newly renovated spaces in the spring!
Happy National Twins Day to our twin, Dumbarton Oaks!👯 We have similar names and were built around the same time (Dumbarton Oaks was built in 1801, while Dumbarton House was finished in 1800), and both were renovated and turned into museums in the early 20th century. People confuse our museums and gardens, and will show up at one looking for the other. So here are some quick differences: Dumbarton Oaks is owned by Harvard University, while the NSCDA owns Dumbarton House. Dumbarton Oaks focuses their museum Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art, while we at Dumbarton House are a historic house museum focusing on the Federal Period and Washington D.C. as the early capital of the United States. Finally, Dumbarton Oaks has a 16-acre, early 20th-century style garden, while Dumbarton House's gardens are about an acre (still very nice for the city! 😉) and consist of a Federal-style garden, a 1990s minimalist park, and an herb garden.
Here's a very scary reminder that TONIGHT is the time for a Very Scary Christmas! 👻🎄 Join us at 8:00 pm for a virtual program, and help us resurrect the holiday tradition of telling ghost stories. We will share spooky stories from the museum’s past, hear from attendees, and call upon the expertise of a professional ghost storyteller. Tickets are $5; you can reserve a spot via our link in bio!
Today is National Wreaths Across America Day! Last week, the Mt. Zion-Female Union Band Historic Memorial Park and the DC Dames had their 2nd Annual Wreath Laying at the Mt.Zion and Female Union Band cemeteries, the oldest black cemeteries in Washington, DC. Seventy wreaths were donated by the Dames to be laid on graves at the cemeteries and raised $3000 for donation. The excellent staff of the Memorial Park took visitors on walking tours about the history of the cemeteries and their role in the Underground Railroad. Here is a collection of pictures from the past two years of this wonderful partnership. Thank you to Mt. Zion-Female Union Band Historic Memorial Park for letting us share your beautiful photos of this year's event!
Did you set a reminder for tonight? 🔔 Our Programs Manager, Mary Lesher, will be streaming from Facebook and Instagram as she attempts to make a Yorkshire Christmas Pye! The same kind of pie would typically be seated in the center of our dining table during Christmas here at Dumbarton House. Tune in TONIGHT at 5:30 to see if Mary can take on the pye challenge! 🥧
Today's has to be one of our favorite photographs of our north garden - our unique bowed walls, paired with those delicate lights, provide the perfect setting for an outdoor dinner. Repost Kate Headley
Did you know that in the 19th century, Christmas was a time for telling scary stories? Join us on December 18th at 8 pm as we rekindle the tradition! Get a cup of cocoa and tune in for virtual scary stories told by a professional storyteller! For more information, click our link in bio!
Making a dish like this is going to be a piece of Pye! Or will it??? Join our Programs Manager, Mary Lesher, this Friday at 5:30 pm as she attempts to make a Yorkshire Christmas Pye! Typically at holiday time, Dumbarton House is adorned in decoration and set for a feast. But since we're closed for construction this season, Mary has decided to take on the challenge of making this great pie at home! Tune in on Facebook or Instagram Live to see if she succeeds! For more info, click our link in bio!
It may not officially be winter yet, but it sure does feel like it! ☃️❄️ Are you looking forward to a snowy winter, like in this picture from our collections? This watercolor painting is of the Morris family home outside of Philidelphia. Rebecca Morris married the Nourses' son Charles, and both families were close with Dolley Madison. This snowy scene makes us want to cuddle up with a nice mug of hot chocolate! ☕🍫
Did you know that today is National Letter Writing Day? 📝 We have many letters in our collections from the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, we'd like to share this one! This letter was written in June of 1773 from William Nourse to his brother James Nourse (called 'Jaimmy' in the letter). The letter reads in part,
"Dear Brother
You canst in reason think me very long in answering your letter for upon looking at ye date of your last; I find it is not quite nineteen months since it was written. I will endeavour to be a better correspondent in future."
Apparently, William Nourse was not very good at remembering to answer his letters! Take some time today to write a letter to someone you care about today!
Yum yum yum! It's National Cookie Day! 😋🍪 In the 18th and early 19th centuries, an early version of cookies were known as 'jumbles.' Usually, when we're setting the Dining Room for the holidays, we include a plate of cookies or jumbles, as shown in this image. We have many different recipes for jumbles, even one in Martha Washington's cookbook. Another recipe, in Mary Randolph's "A Virginia Housewife" (1826), gives very simple instructions: "Put one pound of nice sugar into two pounds of flour, add pounded spice of any kind, and pass them through a sieve; beat four eggs, pour them on with three quarters of a pound of melted butter, knead all well together, and bake them." Would you try this recipe? What is your favorite type of cookie? 🍪
While we may be closed to the public this winter ☃️, it won't stop is from having some great programs! Join us this month for two super fun virtual, holiday-based programs! ❄️🎄🎁 For more information, visit our website or click the link in our bio!
As the museum prepares to undergo renovations, staff has been at work taking down our exhibitions and storing artifacts safely in collections. Here is a little peek behind the scenes as Collections Manager Sammie removes signs from the wall and carefully moves collection items from their cases to put them on a cart for transport into storage!
This please consider donating to Dumbarton House! This year, we are undergoing major changes and construction. Your donation will help us support our new Visitor's Center, Education wing, and exhibitions. Supporting Dumbarton House will help us create wonderful new education programs and exhibitions that explore the history of Washington D.C., and the early years of the American republic! For more information about Dumbarton House and our mission, or to donate, please visit our website at DumbartonHouse.org or via the link in our bio!
in 1802, President Thomas Jefferson wrote an invitation to the Nourse family. He asked "Mr., Mrs., and Miss Nourse" to visit him the following Wednesday, December 1st for dinner. The invitation today lives in our collections!
It's official! We are entering hibernation here at Dumbarton House! 😴We will be closed to the public until March while we undergo construction onsite!🚧🛠️But have no fear; we will still have plenty of virtual programs this winter and will keep you updated on our progress here on social media. Stay tuned!
Have you seen the ginkgo tree in our front garden? Every fall, it turns a beautiful golden before it drops its leaves - it's a staff favorite to admire from office windows! The tree was planted in 1998 in honor of Linda Mattingly, a former Dumbarton House director. Come enjoy the ginkgo's beauty today in the gardens before we close for construction tomorrow!
Sit back and enjoy a nice drink today - it's National Apple Cider Day! In the 18th and 19th centuries, apples were harvested in the fall and preserved for the rest of the year. One of the methods of preservation was pressing cider. Though we in America today might be more familiar with nonalcoholic cider, the term meant fermented or 'hard' cider in that period. Whether you enjoy alcoholic or non, hot or cold, enjoy some cider today and savor the taste of fall apples!
Image 1: Watercolor of an Apple Blossom with Leaves, c. 1840
Image 2: Excerpt 'To make Cyder' from The Compleat Houfewife: or, Accomplifs’d Gentlewoman’s Companion, Eliza Smith, 1727.
This is our last open weekend before we shut down for winter construction! If you want to tour Dumbarton House or get gifts from our gift shop, make sure you stop in Friday, Saturday, or Sunday between 10 am and 3 pm! We'll update you on the construction status right here on social media!
Did you know that November is Native American Heritage month?This month we recognize and celebrate the diverse cultures and heritages of the Native People of North America who reside throughout the United States. The Native tribe that originally inhabited Washington, D.C. were the Nacotchtank people, who would eventually be absorbed into the larger Piscataway tribe after contact with Europeans. The word Nacotchtank can be translated to mean "a town of traders," which is very descriptive of their position along two rivers, which helped them to be a major center of trade in the region. It is also where we get the word Anacostia, which names a river and a neighborhood in D.C. today. To learn more about Native Americans and how to celebrate Native American Heritage month, check out nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov or the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Image 1: John Smith's Map of the Chesapeake Bay, 1612. Library of Congress,
Image 2: Twenty-three-year-old Virginia Algonquian man, 1645. Library of Congress
Happy Veterans Day! Have you heard about the Veterans History Project? It is a program that the NSCDA has been working on in the Library of Congress to record the oral histories and first-hand accounts of war veterans from the World Wars to current military conflicts. In addition to the Veterans History Project, the Dames have also been a part of the VetDogs program, which helps train and provide service dogs to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities so that they can live their lives with dignity and independence, no matter their physical or mental injuries. The pictures we're sharing today were taken at the 2022 NSCDA Biennial conference, where Dames met and interviewed some of the participating veterans and VetDogs!
Join Dwane Starlin, member of the Guild of Professional Tour Guides, for a meander through Georgetown on November 19th from 10-12. Learn about the homes and neighborhood spots frequented by President Kennedy and Jackie during their years in Washington. See where the couple became engaged, their Georgetown home, and where Jackie stayed after JFK’s assassination in 1963. Get tickets for the walking tour today via our website or link in bio!
Our museum and offices will be closed tomorrow, November 11, 2022, in observance of the Veterans Day holiday. Come see us on Saturday and Sunday this weekend!
Our grand historic entrance is typically closed for visitors but can be open on your wedding day to add that extra bit of splendor! repost from
Today is Election Day! Voting in the Federal Period was very different from how we go to the polls today. Political parties were only beginning to form, and many politicians bribed voters with freebies and liquor at the polling booths. This made elections difficult to predict and polling booths to be something more akin to a party. In order to vote today, you must be a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old, and a resident of the state in which you are voting. In the early 19th century, there were many more restrictions. When the Constitution was first ratified, only white, land-owning men could vote. Over time, there was a greater call for the expansion of suffrage. First, the requirement for land ownership was revoked. The 13th, 14th, 15th, and 24th Amendments contributed to voting rights for Black Americans. The 19th Amendment allowed women to vote. And the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Other laws and movements were also pivotal in guaranteeing the right to vote to countless other minorities. All their work guarantees your voice at the poll today. Take advantage of your right and vote!
Our Fall Makers Market is coming up THIS Saturday, November 12th! Get a jump on your holiday shopping and support local businesses throughout the Dumbarton House grounds selling handmade goods, locally sourced items, art, stationery, home goods & more!! The Market will be open from 10 am to 3 pm, and is sure to be a great day with LOADS of exciting items to choose from! Come stop by and see!
Today is National Bison Day! Have you seen the Bison statues at the Q street bridge, also known as Dumbarton Bridge or Buffalo Bridge? (whew, that's a lot of names! 😅) It was built in 1914-15 to connect the neighborhoods of DuPont Circle and Georgetown with Q Street. The bridge is decorated with four massive bronze buffalo statues, sculpted by Alexander Phimister Proctor. While the inspiration for the bridge was Roman architecture, with a healthy dose of nostalgia for the American West, did you know that the historical range of the bison also would have included what is now Washington D.C.? Imagine a bison standing nose to nose with that bronze statue! 😮❗
Happy Halloween from Dumbarton House! 🎃🧛🧟👻🍬 We often get asked if the house is haunted. While there aren't any modern tales, a 19th-century visitor to the house reported seeing a ghostly figure one dark and stormy night.
Celebrate Visit a Cemetary Day by visiting our neighbors: Mt. Zion United Methodist/Female Union Band Cemetery and Oak Hill Cemetery. The Mt. Zion and Female Union Band Society cemeteries were active from 1808 to the 1950s. These cemeteries serve as the final resting place for members of neighborhood methodist congregations, primarily those of the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, the oldest Black Congregation in DC, which split from the integrated Methodist Church due to discrimination. The Female Union Band Society provided monetary relief for Black and Native American women when they were sick and ensured they received a proper burial in death. These two cemeteries lie side by side to the east of Dumbarton House. Oak Hill Cemetery was established as a segregated cemetery in 1848 as part of the rural cemetery movement. It was a spacious and beautiful cemetery intended to encourage people to visit, stroll and even picnic among the gravesites. Oak Hill cemetery is the final home of many famous names in DC history and the Renwick Chapel. Check out their websites to learn more!
2715 Q Street NW
Washington D.C., DC
20007
Metrorail: Red Line, DuPont Circle’s Q Street exit. Metrobus: D-1, D-2, D-3, D-6 to 27th Street stop. DC Circulator’s Georgetown connection, 30th Street, NW stop.
Due to the ever-evolving situation regarding the COVID-19 virus and in an effort to help cut potential community exposure Dumbarton House Museum will be closed March 14 through March 30. We will continue to monitor the situation and make further evaluations regarding additional closures as we get closer to March 30. It is important to us as a member of the community to ensure we are doing everything possible to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff. While we are closed the museum staff will conduct a thorough deep clean of the museum in preparation for reopening. Please keep in touch with us through our website and social media platforms for all updates. Our offices are open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Dumbarton House staff will be working remotely from March 16th onward. Staff will be accessible through email and phone.
Friday | 10am - 3pm |
Saturday | 10am - 3pm |
Sunday | 10am - 3pm |
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dumbarton House posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Dumbarton House:
Preservation is in progress at Dumbarton House this summer! We are working on the restoration of the Best Chamber, the primary bedroom in the house. Last week Sammie, our Collections Manager, and Jerry, our Historic Site Director, disassembled and removed all the furnishings. With these historic collections objects out of the way and safely stored, removal of the wallpaper and repairs to the plaster are taking place. Check back soon for an update on this exciting process!
Tudor Place Historic House & Garden
31 Street Street NWThe Mansion on O & O Street Museum
O Street NWNational Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian In
Independence Avenue At 6th StreetNational Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fu
E Street NWUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Raoul Wallenberg Place SWSmithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition
L'enfant Plz SWNational Museum of Women in the Arts' Film &
New York Avenue NWTudor Place Historic House & Garden
31 Street Street NWThe Mansion on O & O Street Museum
O Street NW