The Twitchell Rowland Homestead Museum at 60 Towner Lane, Oxford, will celebrate its Grand Opening on Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6. The 1755 saltbox will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
On Saturday, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., David Loda will reenact the role of General David Humphreys, who brought merino sheep and new prosperity to the Naugatuck Valley and to Oxford. At 1 p.m., William and Christina Wickson, 5th and 6th generation sheep shearers, will demonstrate their craft. They will clip the fleece from a second sheep on Sunday, also at 1 p.m.
Spinners will demonstrate how the wool from the sheep is carded and spun. Volunteers Judy Norton, Leslie Alexander, Rose Garbien and Robert Owsiany will work with spinning wheels throughout both days, and also demonstrate spinning with a drop spindle. Extra drop spindles will be available for those who would like to try their hand at this ancient art. In addition, Karen Owsiany will show how wool can be felted, a process once used in hat making.
Guests are invited to tour Oxford’s first museum and to enjoy an exhibit of photos of Oxford’s barns as well as the Historical Society’s collection of antiques donated by local families. Videos of the Twitchell Rowland House being moved will be shown, along with extensive photographs of the building’s restoration. A collection of antique maps of Oxford will be on display as well.
Saved from demolition and moved by the Oxford Historical Society in 2006, the Twitchell Rowland Homestead has been renovated by the group’s members and by volunteers from the community. The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation recently recognized the extraordinary efforts that led to the preservation of this historic farmhouse at its 2012 awards ceremony in Hartford.
