Visitors to the 1875 Vera Estey House in Presque Isle over the weekend got a taste of what life was like for the more wealthy families in Aroostook County during the Victorian Era (1837-1901).
On Friday and Saturday nights, the Presque Isle Historical Society hosted their 2nd annual Victorian Christmas at the Estey. Dressed up in traditional Victorian clothes, members of the historical society and community told stories of activities that the Estey family would have participated in in each of the two-story home’s 12 rooms. They also showcased numerous personal items that Vera Estey kept throughout her life.
Vera Estey was an upper-middle-class woman during the Victorian era who lived in her family’s home on 16 Third Street until her death in the 1980s. In her will, Estey, who never married or had children, gave the home to the Presque Isle Historical Society so that it could be preserved as a historical landmark for the community. All the furnishings and clothing are original to the home, which was built in 1875, while the Victorian Christmas decorations were handmade by Kim Smith, secretary/treasurer of the historical society.
When visitors stepped inside the back entryway of the Vera Estey House on Friday night, they were greeted by Presque Isle resident and Historical Society Member Richard Nadeau, who was dressed as a typical Victorian “gentleman.” The kitchen featured a top-of-the-line Star Kineo wood stove with a water warming tank, a pantry and an expensive monitor-top refrigerator.
“The Esteys would have paid $300 for this fridge,” Nadeau said, pointing to the refrigerator in the far corner of the room. “It wasn’t just an ice box. Having an actual fridge allowed some Victorian families to show how wealthy they were.”
Signs of the Esteys’ wealth could be seen throughout the rest of the home as well, from Vera Estey’s father, John Esty’s rolltop desk in the middle parlor to Vera Estey’s many hats on the handmade coat rack in the front foyer and upstairs bedrooms. In the middle parlor downstairs Smith explained how the Esteys might have passed the time during long, cold winter months.
“One of the first board games, ‘Goose,’ was invented during the Victorian era in 1851 and Vera’s family would have played it many times,” Smith said. “All the paintings you see here were painted by Vera and her mother, Helen, because ‘refined’ women weren’t just expected to cook and keep house. They were expected to know how to sing, play musical instruments, paint and knit.”
As guests moved into the front parlor, they were treated to soft Christmas music courtesy of piano player Lisa Prescott. Several visitors expressed amazement at the handmade Victorian fireplace and the walnut organ created by J. Estey and Co. that was restored in the 1960s.
Upstairs, people moved through three bedrooms, one of which was designed to house servants in the back of the house, but was actually where Vera Estey’s grandparents slept. That room is also known as the back bedroom. During the Christmas tour, Historical Society Member Marilyn Nadeau pointed out Vera’s mink coats, dresses, more hats and a velvet, satin and ivory handled manicure set.
Vera Estey’s childhood bedroom, called the middle bedroom, still contains her toys and books from that period as well as her high school diploma and baby photo. After her parents died, Vera slept in their bedroom, known today as the front bedroom. Elaine Hendrickson, one of the Victorian Christmas re-enactors, showed off Vera’s black hand warmer and surprised many people when she told them what fur had been used to make it.
“It came from chimpanzee fur because during that era Queen Victoria travelled to India and at that time chimpanzee fur was popular,” Hendrickson said.
The upstairs bedrooms marked the end of the tour and afterward many people stayed and chatted with the re-enactors, often noting how fascinating it was to learn of the history associated with the Estey house. LeRae Kinney went on the tour with her husband, Kevin Kinney, daughter Molly, 8, and nephew Andrew Wood, 7.
“I love the character of the home and how it’s been preserved. Every room has someone playing a part and there’s all this history that I didn’t know about before,” LeRae Kinney said.
Mapleton resident Bonnie Steeves toured the Estey home with her husband, David Steeves, and admired the work that the Presque Isle Historical Society put into preserving the house and educating the community.
“They’re all very knowledgeable and I think the history makes this a unique event to have during the holiday season,” Bonnie Steeves said.
Visitors to the Estey home on both Dec. 15 and 16 were free to walk around at their own pace and going through the entire house took around an hour. Afterward people turned in a scavenger hunt that they had completed based on the Christmas carol “The 12 Days of Christmas.” Each room in the home contained an object from the song such as the “10 Lords-a-Leaping” above the back stairway. Everyone also took home a Victorian handmade ornament kit and a greater understanding of the history that still lives in the Vera Estey home.
Though the event was a fundraiser for the historical society’s yearlong events, Smith told The Star Herald on Dec. 17 that exact figures about ticket proceeds would be uncertain until the end of the month because of private tours that also are planned in the Vera Estey house. But the society’s goal is to continue hosting the event every year and provide the community with unique learning opportunities during the holidays.
“It’s a holiday-themed event, but at the same time people are learning something about the history of Presque Isle. We want them to have fun but at the same time understand the value that the historical society brings to the area,” Smith said.
(Photo courtesy of Melissa Lizotte)
