By Staff
Staff Reports
The Historic Bath Foundation is helping the Historic Bath State Historic Site breathe new life into the 1751 Palmer-Marsh House.
The home, operated by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, has been getting a facelift over the last six months. While architecturally the house represents the colonial era, some of the furnishings and textiles needed a boost to tell the story more accurately.
With the recent donation of $10,000 from the Historic Bath Foundation, Inc., the textiles of Colonel Palmer’s bedchamber can now be completely refurbished.
The donation will be used to replace curtains and bed hangings, some of which date from the initial restoration of the house in the 1960s. A dressing table for Mrs. Palmer will be added to the room, period-appropriate slipcovers will protect original upholstery for chairs and Venetian carpets will be purchased for the bedside.
Hookway accepted the check along with Historic Bath’s assistant site manager Leigh Swain.
The first phase of the restoration work, funded by the Historic Bath Commission, helped the dark cellar kitchen reflect — with new furnishings and a bit of whitewash — life below stairs in the 1760s, when Col. Robert Palmer lived in the home.
Earlier this year, volunteers and site staff upgraded the front entrance hall by making a large painted canvas floorcloth, typical of gentry homes of this period. New checked slipcovers now conceal tired, sun-faded cushions.
Historic Bath Site Manager Patricia Samford said she is pleased with the changes taking place in the house.