Adventures With Nancy: SHELBURNE MUSEUM IN VERMONT

Though I am a reluctant museum go-er, that was our activity for today with little else to choose from. Years and years ago, when I lived on Cape Cod, I visited Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. This was similar in that there were many buildings spread out on acres of land. It was different in that Sturbridge was more of farm life, Shelburne is a collection of many different things from farm life, antiques, artwork, buildings, a boat, etc..

Shelburne Museum has over 150,000 works of Impressionist paintings, design, and Americana exhibited in 39 buildings on 45 acres of land. It is very big! There are paintings, quilts, textiles, folk art and furniture, to name only a few of the things that are here.

Just a little history of the Museum that I have taken directly form Wikipedia: Electra Havemeyer Webb was an avid collector of American folk art and founded the museum in 1947. She relocated historic buildings from New England and New York to Shelburne Vermont. The core collection of all things at Shelburne was formed by Electra Webb who died in 1960. The museum had lost money and had a deficit of more than $300,000 in 1994. In 1996 the museum sold $30 million of its art to pay expenses. Electra’s son resigned in protest of the sale. He believed that the sale violated the code of ethics of the American Alliance of Museums, which forbade the selling of artworks for purposes other than acquiring more art.

For more history you must go to Wikipedia. There is a lot of information there.

At our parking spot we found this delightful apple tree offering us to taste its most delicious fruit.

The first thing I spotted, and which was very prominently placed, was the steam powered paddle boat.

The paddles are on the sides of this vessel, and the boat draws a mere seven feet of water. Without a propeller the paddle boats can maneuver in low water.

I joined a walking tour of the Ticonderoga and learned more than I can recall!

Look at this beautiful steering system in the pilot house. Note the stoppers on the big wheels to keep it steady and not unwantingly turn the paddlee.

This vessel was used most often for day trips on Lake Champlain, but there were a few staterooms that could be rented.

Sparse but functional staterooms.

There is so much to see and take in on the grounds of the museum, and I know I took too many photos ;’-0, but here we go.

There is a huge display of the horse drawn vehicles and I really had trouble culling them as they were each so interesting. I did the best I could, and try to include only a few here.

This is an interesting read about the hearse.

Can’t leave out the surrey with the fringe on top.

And a few sleighs..

OK — enough!

Continuing the walk around the grounds .. the jail!

The covered bridge.

Another building had this interesting sports thing. Eight to twelve people sat on this thing (kind of like a rowing scull lineup) They held onto the rope next to them and kept their feet in the trough. The “experienced” and trained I hope, captain guided them down the icy hills and slopes —- for the fun of it. At some point this was used in competition along with toboggans and other such winter sports machines. You had to really trust your captain!

Onto the Circus Building. You won’t believe me by the number of photos here, but I did cull some ;’-). This is a big horseshoe shaped building that was impossible to get a picture that would show its entirety. For that I would have needed a drone!