Avery-Copp House, Part 2
For the 250th anniversary of the United States, I took a three-day patriotic trip to the Thames River National Heritage Park in Groton and New London, CT. After a morning touring Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which included its monument, museum, and the interior of the fort, followed by an early afternoon boat tour, I was able to explore the beautiful yellow Victorian that I had spotted at several points during the trip so far. Avery-Copp House is an independently managed museum from a very different historical period than my other stops in Groton. In the first part, I described the history of the house. In this second part, I will describe the artifacts and technology found in the building, along with how to visit.
Several Connecticut Valley clocks (thoroughly described in my post on the American Clock & Watch Museum) stand on mantles throughout the house. An Edison cylinder phonograph playing wax cylinders rivaled those found at the Middleborough Historical Society and the Vintage Radio & Communications Museum in Connecticut. One clever exhibit within the house was on the dining room table. Packaging of treats we love today, including Oreo and Coca-Cola, were paired with vintage advertisements from the early 20th century. Other fun gadgets that set apart the estate as belonging to a wealthy family included a Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter, a stereoscope next to a modern View-Master toy, and a decorated Singer sewing machine. A section of the wall in the upstairs bathroom allowed visitors to see the layers of paint used in that room.
The servants' quarters contained more technology that was revolutionary for its time. A Montgomery Ward Company electric washing machine dated from just after World War II and was a step up cranking the machines by hand, especially since it was less likely to give electric shocks. A little refrigerator from 1930 was wedged in a nook between the laundry room and kitchen, while a crank telephone dating from about 1900 hung on the opposite wall. Inside the kitchen were not one but two stoves. the Glenwood coal burning stove was manufactured by Weir Stove Company in Taunton, MA and brought to the house in 1905, where it also acted as a source of heat. The Universal Electric stove, a brand manufactured between 1910 and 1930, stands directly beside the coal stove. The last activity indoors was a craft, making a sachet of potpourri. Outside the house, which was built on the side of a hill, a pair of gazebos allowed visitors a view of the nearby river, or at least once did before the trees grew.
Avery-Copp House is free and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., from the weekend before Memorial Day to the weekend before the Contentious October Holiday (if you know, you know). The house is not accessible to those with limited mobility or using a wheelchair. However, the museum has a 3D virtual tour using Matterport with plenty of explanation about artifacts found around the house. The young guide presenting the tour was highly knowledgeable, energetic, and had answers for all of the many questions in my tour group. I highly recommend stopping by this site if you enjoy touring historic houses or need a reprieve from American Revolutionary War history.
