LENOX, MA. – Louise Levy, a lifelong student of American history, will present a lecture series on Saturdays throughout the summer beginning on June 21 at 11:00 am.

Topics and dates in the series are:

June 21, Calling All Servants - Take a look at the hidden world of the men and women who served the great families of the Gilded Age. Learn about the call boxes and speaking tubes that helped them communicate, and then go for a walk through the house looking for signs of servant life.

June 28, Looking Through The Lens Of Time - Learn about the three dimensional world of stereoscopes, the original View-Masters, as well as spirit photography and the Victorian obsession with science and the occult.  Look through a stereoscope and see the world as our Victorian ancestors saw it!

July 5, Setting The Table - Learn how to properly set a table as if the Morgans were coming to dinner. We’ll play Guess the Object as well as learn about pieces in the Bellefontaine collection. Be inspired to create your own collection of vintage tableware!

July 12, Getting To Know The Family - What was it like to be a member of one of the wealthiest families in America? We’ll take a dive into the daily lives of the Morgans as well as learn their history as told through their own letters and telegrams, the Victorian version of texting.

July 19, An Electrifying Tale: JP Morgan, George Westinghouse, and The Race To Light Up The World - From the streetlamps of Lenox to the Chicago World’s Fair to the shores of Niagara Falls, learn about the battle between inventors and their investors to convince America to convert to electricity.

Louise Levy is a graduate of Syracuse University with a BA in Art History. She grew up in New Jersey and has made the northwest corner of Connecticut her home for over 30 years. Louise worked as a tour guide at Chesterwood in Stockbridge, MA for 15 years, giving tours and specialty talks ranging from cemetery symbolism to the civil rights movement. She joined the staff at Ventfort Hall over two years ago where she gives lectures on American art and history.

The talks are included in the regular admission to the museum. Members get in free and can attend these talks without paying admission as often as they like. Visiting hours are daily, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as an important partner of the Lenox Cultural District, one of the five such Berkshire County districts, Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum was built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of legendary financier J. Pierpont Morgan.

Location:  Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum

Type of Event: Tea & Talk

Date of Event: Saturdays beginning June 21, 2025

Time:  11:00 am

Admission:  Included in general house admission for self-guided tours (Members get in free.)

Contact Persons:  Linda Rocke, [email protected]; Chelsea Gaia, [email protected]

Description: Saturday Summer Salon Series