Grey Towers Hosting Laurel Hill Burial Ground Walk Get to know Milford’s historic past as Grey Towers Heritage Association welcomes the public to join its annual walking tour of the Laurel Hill Burial Ground at Grey Towers on Saturday, October 4 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to walk the historic burial ground and stop at 12 designated gravesites at which actors portraying the interred will provide first-person narrative life stories of residents buried from the 1830s to the 1920s. Visitors will also be greeted by Mourning Mary and her friends as they talk about Victorian funeral customs and superstitions. Guests will also enjoy light refreshments, including typical funeral biscuits wrapped in parchment paper. “It’s an intriguing and fun way to bring history to life,” explains Don Allen, Grey Towers Heritage Association Board member and director of the event. “Our guests learn about early settlers of Milford and the surrounding area in a very personal and dynamic way.” Actors from American Readers Theater, caped and dressed in black, assume the roles of the interred and tell Milford’s founding families’ stories of everyday life in the 1700s and 1800s: their joys, losses and tragedies. Also revealed are the funereal sources of famous expressions such as “Saved by the bell.” “It’s a great way to usher in Halloween and All Souls Day, enjoy the fall foliage and gardens on the 102 acres of the Grey Towers National Historical Site. Guests may also visit the famed Gifford Pinchot ancestral home for a nominal fee,” adds Will Voelkel of GTHA. Admission to the event is $20 for members, $25 for non-members, and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or at the door. This event is not advised for children under 13. The walk is on uneven ground, so please wear comfortable shoes. For more information and tickets, visit greytowers.org/events
Grey Towers Scholarship Fund, Finger Bowl Dinner Guests at the July Fingerbowl Dinner enjoy the unique and delicious outdoor dining experience at Grey Towers that mirrors historic Pinchot family gatherings. For the second time this summer, Grey Towers Heritage Association will host a Candlelight Dinner as a fundraiser for the Pinchot Legacy Scholarship. The dinner will take place at the unique Finger Bowl water-filled outdoor dining area at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, PA, home of two-time governor and “Father of U.S. Conservation” Gifford Pinchot, on September 5 at 5 p.m. The Finger Bowl is considered Grey Towers’ most popular feature and served as the Pinchot family’s outdoor dining room. Added in 1934 to the French-style mansion and gardens constructed in the 1880s by James and Mary Pinchot, the water-filled table was the site of many lively discussions about social issues and conservation efforts. Meals were passed among guests by floating wooden bowls and balsa rafts on the water. The opening in the wisteria-covered pergola permitted moonlight to radiate across the water. “This recreation of those dinners provides a very romantic evening for everyone,” promises Don Allen, GTHA Board member and co-organizer of the event. Grey Towers Heritage Association invites members and the general public to enjoy this revived tradition as they savor delicious foods prepared similarly to the Pinchot family’s dinner celebrations. “The Heritage Association’s Legacy Scholarship awards financial; assistance to tri-state public high school students who plan to study natural resources, science, ecology and more,” explains Mary Somma, Board member and head of the Education & Scholarships committee, “so guests are not only enjoying a delicious dinner in a unique setting, they are also supporting conservation and education.” A reception starts at 5 p.m., with dinner seating at 6 p.m. around the water-filled Finger Bowl table as well at tables that line the perimeter of the pergola. Pergola seats are currently available, which provide an equally magical evening. Seating is limited, so reserve yours now at https://greytowers.org/events.
