Merrimack River Valley House (Old Ladies Home), Inside at Christmas. Photos Taken in December 2015

The Merrimack River Valley House, also known as The Old Ladies Home, a well-cared-for 1881 Victorian home in Lowell, Massachusetts, has been closed for several years. I took these photos in December 2015, when I heard it would be closed. I often visited two residents, one being my mother-in-law. When it closed in November 2016, the residents were moved into a local nursing home. The 520 Fletcher Street house is now, The House of Hope, a homeless shelter.

These photos were taken on the first floor, but the stockings were on the 2nd floor. The ladies lived on the 2nd and 3rd floors and used an elevator, never the stairs. As you can see, it was a beautiful facility, especially at Christmas. They also had the healthiest, freshest food, all home-cooked for them. As a guest, I was able to eat there. The house had 31 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms.

I thought some Lowell residents, here or afar would like to see these pictures. (sorry some are blurry.) 

The Lowell Sun had an article about the closing:

http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_28850690/2-longtime-lowell-rest-homes-close-be-absorbed

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Your Family

Freedom from Want by Norman Rockwell

In December 2017, I toured the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and saw this painting. It was quite a thrill because I've always seen it in print, but never the original. At that time, I knew I would use this painting for my Thanksgiving greeting. My family never had a dinner like this, but it's fun in imagine what it would be like. No matter what you eat or who you share the day with, just be thankful for what you have.

From Wikipedia: "Freedom from Want, also known as The Thanksgiving Picture or I'll Be Home for Christmas, is the third of the Four Freedoms series of four oil paintings by American artist Norman Rockwell. The works were inspired by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address, known as Four Freedoms.

The painting was created in November 1942 and published in the March 6, 1943 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. All of the people in the picture were friends and family of Rockwell in Arlington, Vermont, who were photographed individually and painted into the scene. The work depicts a group of people gathered around a dinner table for a holiday meal. Having been partially created on Thanksgiving Day to depict the celebration, it has become an iconic representation for Americans of the Thanksgiving holiday and family holiday gatherings in general. The Post published Freedom from Want with a corresponding essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the Four Freedoms series. Despite many who endured sociopolitical hardships abroad, Bulosan's essay spoke on behalf of those enduring the socioeconomic hardships domestically, and it thrust him into prominence."

Thanksgiving at the Nickels - Sortwell House, Wiscasset, Maine

Nickels-Sortwell House

124 Main Street

Wiscasset, Maine

website

This historic house, built in 1807 by Capt. William Nickels is a few blocks from the Castle Tucker house built the same year. (I wrote about Castle Tucker recently.) This is a magnificent house, and we couldn't wait to tour it. When Capt. Nickels suffered financial hardship, the house became a hotel, then a summer home for the Sortwell family of Massachusetts. For more information about the house, please see website.

Front entrance and stairs.

I spotted this delightful room before the tour began.

Enlarged so you can see the interior shutters, to block out sun or help keep the room warm.

Front double parlor.

This dining room table is where the Sortwell's had their Thanksgiving dinner, per the magazine picture and article below.

Portraits of Sophia Augusta Foye Sortwell and Alvin Sortwell.

View of Sheepscot River from a room.

Up to 2nd floor, and large window /door with small patio.




I love this bedroom, and that's why there are 4 photos.

Another 2nd floor bedroom.

Third floor


Looking out on Main Street, and Sheepscot River (below).

Third floor bedroom.

Interior shot of the front door.

Sheepscot River, and the popular, Red's Eats (above, to the left and below).

More than a month after the tour, we returned to the area, and the sky was very threatening. I took this picture to show the difference from the first one taken in early September.

We were given a two page write-up about the Sortwell's Thanksgiving dinner, complete with recipes. The print is small and light, but perhaps you'll be able to enlarge it to read.

Google map showing location of the Nickels-Sortwell House, blue center marker, Castle Tucker is the other blue marker.

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