The women of Doylestown’s Gilded Age came alive at the James-Lorah Memorial Home on March 26.
Visitors to the stately Victorian townhouse on North Main Street encountered women and girls in period costume portraying the home’s historic residents. The interactive tours celebrated the 18th Century women of Doylestown in honor of Women’s History Month.
Docents from the Village Improvement Association greeted guests as Nancy Chapman, Sarah M. James, Martha Lorah, and Sarah Gordon James, while local Girl Scouts portrayed Chapman family servants Esther Demere, Bridget Dunn and Louisa Pearce. Tales of love, mice, and drunken revelry – gleaned from letters, diaries, and local histories – entertained the visitors.
The James-Lorah Memorial Home, built in 1844 by Judge Henry Chapman, is the headquarters of the Village improvement Association of Doylestown and the birthplace of Henry Chapman Mercer.
Join James-Lorah docents on Saturday, June 18, when the home hosts tours and other festivities in honor of Henry Mercer's 166th Birthday.
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