Tour Muncy's Historic Homes, Gardens

MUNCY—Experience the beauty and charm of one of Pennsylvania’s finest communities as the Muncy Historical Society hosts its annual Historic Homes and Garden Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 17.

The historical society offers its guests a different experience each year and, on July 17, a combination of historic properties, showcase gardens, an incredible quilt exhibit, shopping opportunities, and refreshments are included.

The first stop, and the main ticket center for the tour, is the Muncy Historical Society, housed in one of Muncy’s earliest homes. The two and one-half story, seven-bay frame building represents the Greek revival style.

The museum features a special coverlet exhibit on loan from Anne Lyon’s private collection. Jacquard coverlets, named for the French inventor, Joseph Marie Jacquard, were woven by fourteen different weavers living in Bucks, Luzerne, Northumberland, Lancaster, Montour, and Lebanon counties. Rounding out this display is a beautiful doublecloth of woven blue yarns, a C. Theodore Lyon heirloom coverlet, predating the jacquards.

Coverlets made by Muncy weaver, William Lowmiller will be on display along with his “jacquard attachment” - one of only seven in existence. The jacquard card was punched with holes which programmed the loom and controlled the patterning of the textile by lifting the warp threads in an almost infinite number of combinations. The ability to manipulate the warp threads allowed the weaving of flower, bird, tree and leaf designs. The jacquard cards also provided a means by which the weaver could change-up the border patterns and to include a signature panel.

Wedding gowns from the mid-1800s to the 1990s are scattered throughout the museum – satin and silk, simple to pearl-laden, knee- to floor-length. The head coverings are diverse, from pearl-laden headpieces to wide-brimmed hats to elbow- to floor-length veils.

Before or after touring the exhibit, ticketholders are invited to sit a spell and enjoy complimentary ice cream sundaes served in the museum’s meetingroom-turned-ice cream parlor.

Ticketholders will be welcome at two of Muncy’s pristine Italianate-style homes, both built in the 1870s by Joseph Nesbit of Lewisburg. In the same vicinity, guests may visit the Yeakel-Bruner home and gardens and Muncy’s historic St. James Episcopal and Presbyterian churches. The Inn at Shuttle Hill, Hollyhock Gardens and the Quilt Show round out this year’s Tour. The featured gardens offer a wide variety of styles and reflect the personal tastes of their owners. Some gardens have been designed to bloom throughout the growing season beginning with bulbs and irises progressing to clematis and peonies, and then to lilies and butterfly bushes. Annuals and perennials add color, fragrance and texture to the landscape and they transform the yard into an alluring place. Boxwoods and hostas add formality to some gardens; wildflowers and vines provide a more colonial feel and flavor, attracting birds, bees and butterflies to their nectar.

Advance tickets, at the discounted price of $10 for the Historic Homes and Garden Tour and Quilt Show, may be purchased from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 16, or by mail at P.O. Box 11, Muncy, PA 17756. Tickets the day of the tour are $12 and may be purchased at the Society or at the Muncy High School.

On the web at http://www.MuncyHistoricalSociety.org

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