Welcome. Housed in the 1823 Abigail Hooper Trask House, the Museum invites you to experience Manchester-by-the-Sea’s fascinating past through restored period rooms, paintings and sculptures by master artists, collections from the town's furniture era and maritime history, educational programs, speakers, and exhibits.
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Hours:
Wednesday through Friday, 10 AM to 3 PM; Saturday, 11 AM to 4 PM.
Holiday Stroll Open House
On December 6, 3 PM to 8 PM, during Christmas by the Sea's Holiday Stroll (held by the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce), experience the wonder of the season at the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum. Come see us as we've decked the halls and offer good cheer during our free open house. For the kids, we will be stamping Holiday Stroll passbooks and hosting a pop-up ornament crafting program with artist Martha Chapman. Fit for all ages, holidays cards will be for sale along with delightful gifts from our "Shop by the Sea."
Free and open to all — no reservations necessary.​​
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Holiday Tea
Do you like afternoon tea, with lovely china, tasty treats, and good company? On December 12, 2 PM to 3 PM, in celebration of the season, the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum's annual Holiday Tea will be returning for another splendid year. In addition to tea, pastries, and sandwiches, we will offer live music and carol singing as the Museum is festooned for the holidays. Reservations are required, and seating is limited. The Council on Aging is offering free transportation — call 978-526-7500.​
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Holiday Party
In the season of giving, the Museum will be giving back to its members, donors, and supporters with its annual Holiday Party on December 12, 6 PM to 8 PM. If you have given to the Museum over the past year, you are invited to our historic house for refreshments, music, and socializing as we embrace the spirit of the season.​​
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Children's Art & History Workshops
The Museum will hold a series of free children's workshops this coming winter on Saturday mornings, 10 AM to 12 Noon, facilitated by artist Martha Chapman and generously made available by The Hooper Fund.
On January 11, participants will learn about Manchester's Fishery heritage and draw and paint a sea creature. On January 25, we will look at the museum's collection of Charles Hopkinson's portraits, and then will draw and color a portrait. On February 8, we will learn about the Cape Ann Sea serpent, a sensation in the earlier part of the 1800s, and then put together a sea creature assemblage. On February 22, we will look at paintings of Singing Beach, and then adapt our own version of beach activities.
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Saturday workshops are geared toward ages 5 to 12.
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All of the children's workshops will be held at the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum, 10 Union St., Manchester-by-the-Sea.​​
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'Summers by the Sea' Exhibit Extended
If you haven't seen "Summers by the Sea," you still have time. The popular exhibit, examining Manchester-by-the-Sea's transformation from a furniture-making mill town to an international summer-resort destination, is extended through Fall.
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Image: Masconomo House hotel
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Celebrating a Year of Success
The Museum celebrated a year of success with its annual meeting on Thursday, September 26, starting at 5:45 PM with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to commemorate the restoration of the Museum’s front-entrance portico. The portico, which was part of the house during Abigail Hooper Trask's ownership, was removed in the 1930s and restored this year through the generous contributions of Capital Campaign donors and Community Preservation Committee funds.
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Following a reception accross the street at Chapel Hall, the Museum held its business meeting, welcomed new officers and thanked departing Museum trustees for their hard work and dedication over the past year.
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Last, but not least, Matthew Swindell (Associate Director) closed the evening with his well-received lecture, "Manchester vs. the Trolley," delving into the issues and battle lines of a fascinating period, "one of the most trying periods of the town's history," during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it was electrified by the controversial proposed trolley.​
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The Fire Engines Inside Seaside No. 1
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Thanks to all who stopped by our Open House at Seaside No. 1 during Festival by the Sea.
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More than 200 visitors came to learn about the town’s two antique fire engines — the Torrent, a hand pumper built in 1832, and Seaside No. 2, a horse-drawn steam pumper acquired in 1902. Check back here for future open house dates.
Winslow Homer's Answer to Controversy
Thanks to a gift from Christine Virden of MBTS, the Museum has added to its permanent Collection a wood engraving of Winslow Homer’s iconic “Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts (High Tide),” depicting three young women emerging from a swim in the ocean at Singing Beach. It was published in the August 6, 1870 edition of Boston's periodical Every Saturday.
A few months earlier, at a New York show, Homer first exhibited his oil painting* of the same name and subject matter. The painting was panned by critics. They were disturbed that, as one wrote, the figures were “exceedingly red-legged and ungainly...” So, Homer edited the image for Every Saturday. In this version (shown at left), the young women's bare legs were covered with leggings, and the dog was replaced with a swim cap.
Homer (1836–1910) began his career as an illustrator, creating images of current events for newspapers and other periodicals in Boston and New York. Homer sometimes adapted his illustrations into watercolors and oil paintings. He also reused the imagery of his paintings — such as “Eagle Head” — in his engravings.
The more than 150-year-old engraving of Winslow Homer's “Eagle Head” is part of our summer exhibit -- “Summers by the Sea: Masconomo House Hotel & the Resort Era.”
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* Winslow Homer's oil painting is in The Met's Collection.
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