The Courting Candle

Remember the other day, we had lunch with Judy and Norm. Judy is my “convoluted cousin” twice removed. They’re finally retiring from the Victorian Mansion that has owned them for decades. They’ll be moving to Florida for good and our city will lose two of its greatest treasures. The Caswell-Smith House lives and breathes today through the hard work and incredible generosity of these lovely people I’m proud to call family.

When we parted ways after lunch a couple of weeks ago, I realized we didn’t get a picture. And in my family, that’s an egregious act! We were blessed with another visit in their beautiful home to take some pictures and tell some stories.

Judy, a retired teacher, showed us more things that we hadn’t seen. One of the best period pieces in the Caswell-House is the courting chair. When a young suitor came over to court a young lady of the house, the chaperone joined them in the parlor and the three of them sat in this unusual chair. Initial visits lasted just a few minutes. The chaperone sat facing the “courting candle.” The candlestick is adjustable. The shortest adjustment allowed the candle to burn for 10 minutes and when the candle burned down, the date was over and the young man was escorted from the home. As time went on, if the young man met the father’s approval, the candle was adjusted to twenty minutes, and eventually to thirty…all with the chaperone present.

The other lesson yesterday was the newel post. When a wealthy Victorian man built a home, the bottom of the grand staircase was a centerpiece that set the tone for the rest of the house. Victorians took great pride in elaborately carved fixtures on top of the newel post. It expressed the wealth and stature of the man of the house. When the gentleman of the house had worked and paid off the mortgage or construction costs, a “mortgage button” was added to show guests that this was a house bought and paid for…major accomplishment that held the owner in great regard by their visitors. If you zoom in, you can see how elaborate the newel post is in this mansion.

The last photo are the Cottrills… “Uncle” Ken and “Aunt” Lucy. They were my grandparents’ best friends, Hubby #1’s maternal Uncle and Aunt…and Judy’s parents. You can’t throw a stick around here without hitting someone you’re either related to or has been a friend of the family for generations!

We ended yesterday’s visit sitting in the conservatory, admiring the glass bells and eggs, kaleidoscopes, bonsai, and the delicate tea set with the shadow of a geisha in the bottom of a paper thin porcelain teacups.

Every place you look there is delightful eye candy…from the glass-fronted, ceiling-high cabinets housing several sets of dishes for all occasions to the case on the hallway containing Mrs. Caswell’s treasured silver coffee server with their surname engraved that she received for winning a tennis tournament to the exquisite genuine Tiffany glass windows over the front door and along the grand staircase.

I will miss this lovely couple, but as Judy says, we treasure the memories of our family’s intertwined history that brought us together in the first place…and the times we have spent together. They will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ll be able to tour the home again as the new buyers will continue including the house on the Victorian Christmas and Summer Garden tours…hopefully as a Docent.

The weather has turned cool and drizzly again…good sleeping weather. Fall is definitely here.

Till tomorrow, dear ones…

Ginny

“We love because he first loved us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

#victorian #victorianhouse #victorianhome #victoriana #victorianarchitecture #caswellsmith #julianasquare #JULIANASQUARE #courtingchair #courtingcandle #courtingcandles #courtingcandleholder #courtingcandlestick













(Feed generated with FetchRSS)