PHOTOS FROM POMONA HALL CHRISTMAS TOUR, 2002
Experiencing an 18th-Century Holiday Home
Photography by Hoag Levins ...| ...Dec. 8, 2002
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CAMDEN, N.J. -- Throughout the afternoon, visitors thronged Pomona Hall for the Camden County Historical Society "Candlelight & Carols" tours. Above, left, Sandy Levins, volunteer and member of the Board of Trustees, puts finishing touches on a faux-food presentation in the main dining room. See larger photo. Meanwhile, in the 18th-century mansion's central hall, the band Flagstone played traditional holiday music (above, right). Hear Flagstone playing (RealPlayer Required)
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The mansion's two floors of historic rooms were decorated in keeping with the kinds of materials that would have been available in the late 1700s. A pineapple -- a rare and costly fruit in that era -- is the centerpiece of a mantle arrangement in Pomona Hall's formal parlor (above, right). Pineapples were symbols of hospitality as well as a family's prosperity.
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Overseeing the 18th-century open-hearth kitchen was Hazel Werner, who demonstrated the techniques and tools of old-time fireplace cooking. See larger photo. Tours throughout the rest of the mansion were led by docents including Charla Lewis, the Society's Education Coordinator. Above, right, she beckons the next group into the formal parlor. See larger photo.
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The Christmas tour was designed to be historically educational as well as quite tasty. Bread pudding cooked over the open hearth (above, left) was just one of the holiday foods available for sampling in the 18th-century kitchen. An array of holiday breads and spiced warm cider added to the holiday cheer.
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