Exciting Times for The Perry Hall Mansion

The Friends of the Perry Hall Mansion Third Annual Holiday Reception

During the first Sunday in December, about twenty volunteers from the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion coordinated the first ever holiday tour and reception featuring this historic residence.  Perry Hall Mansion, originally constructed in 1775, was acquired by Baltimore County in 2001, and is supervised by the Department of Recreation and Parks.  The Friends of Perry Hall Mansion, with over 175 members, work collaboratively with the County to guide the restoration and adaptive re-use of this unique property.

The tour was jointly sponsored by the Friends of Jerusalem Mills, and attracted over 135 guests.  Immediately following the tour, the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion welcomed another 150 guests to a holiday reception, featuring musical performances, period furnishings and holiday décor, as well as a visit from Santa Claus.  Special guests included Sen. Kathy Klausmeier and Del. Joe Boteler, who both represent Baltimore County’s 8th legislative district, as well as Mr. Steve Verch, the chair of the County Parks Board.  This day of activity was the first time that visitors could see the completed first phase of interior renovations of Perry Hall Mansion.  This work consisted of the replacement of the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems, as well as a general stabilization of the interior of the building.  It is hoped that cosmetic renovations and interior decorating can commence sometime during 2010. 

10 December 2009

To the Members of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion:

Please note that, in recognition of the holiday season, there will NOT be a December meeting of the Friends.

Thus, our next general membership meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 19th, starting at 7pm.  This event will take place at the chapel of St. Michael's Lutheran Church, located on Bel Air Road, across from Friendly's Restaurant.

I look forward to seeing all of you next January!

Thanks and Happy Holidays,

Jeff Smith

President
Friends of Perry Hall Mansion

26 November 2009

Deck The Halls!

The Friends of the Perry Hall Mansion Third Annual Holiday Reception
Sunday December 6th 4:30 until 7:30 pm
at The Perry Hall Mansion

Refreshments, Beverages, and Holiday Cheer!
Musical Performances, readings, and an Assortment
of Children's Activities throughout the Evening

Ticket Information      MapQuest      Event Schedule

16 November 2009

To the Members of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion:

Please note that our next general membership meeting will take place this Tuesday, November 17th, starting at 7pm.  This event will take place at the chapel of St. Michael's Lutheran Church, located on Bel Air Road, across from Friendly's Restaurant.

I look forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday evening!

Thanks,

Jeff Smith

President
Friends of Perry Hall Mansion

18 October 2009

To the Members of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion:

Please note that our next general membership meeting will take place this Tuesday, October 20th, starting at 7pm.  Immediately following the end of this meeting, there will be a brief meeting of the Board of Directors of the Friends.  Both events will take place at the chapel of St. Michael's Lutheran Church, located on Bel Air Road, across from Friendly's Restaurant.

Also, for those of you who may have been planning on participating with us in the Perry Hall Halloween Parade (originally scheduled for today), please note that the event has been cancelled, due to poor weather conditions.  There will be no rain date.

I look forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday evening!

Thanks,

Jeff Smith
President
Friends of Perry Hall Mansion

05 October 2009

To the Members of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion:

On the basis of recommendations from the ad hoc By-Laws Review Committee, the Executive Board presents the following recommended changes to the current by-laws of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion (download pdf). These changes will better describe the actions, procedures, and structure of the organization and allow for future efforts. 

The General Membership will be asked to vote to accept these revised by-laws at our next General Meeting, to be held on October 20, 2009.  Please note, that you will also be receiving a printed copy of these revisions via US Mail shortly.

Thanks,

Jeff Smith,
President
Friends of Perry Hall Mansion

04 September 2009

Friends of Perry Hall Mansion Booth at 2009 Parkville Town Fair

On Sunday, September 13th, from 10:00am until 4:00pm, the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion will be staffing a booth at this year's Parkville Town Fair.  At the booth, there will be a variety of Mansion-themed items for sale, such as decorative sun-catchers, two different types of Christmas tree ornaments, a historical and architectural overview of the Mansion, and lovely stationery cards, featuring historic depictions of the Mansion and grounds.

There will also be a special charity raffle (with all proceeds going to support the restoration of the Mansion), which will have as prizes:  a large framed print of Francis Guy's 1803 oil painting of the Perry Hall Mansion, and two decorative porcelain artworks of the Mansion.  Raffle tickets will be for sale at a cost of $1 apiece, and 6 tickets for $5 dollars.  

Additionally, a number of items found as part of a surface archaeological scan of the Mansion grounds will be on-display.  There will also be colonial-themed costumes available for young children to try on!  

Feel free to stop by and get an update on all of the wonderful activity going on in association with the Perry Hall Mansion

20 July 2009

To the Members of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion

Please note that there will not be a meeting of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion during either July or August of 2009.  Our next meeting will be on September 15, 2009 at 7pm. 

I did want to provide you with a brief update with regard to our booth at the 2009 Perry Hall Town Fair.  Thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers, led by Colleen Bowers, the Friends collected over $500 from the sale of various Mansion-themed gift items, and from new and renewal memberships!!   A special thank you to those who helped to plan and execute this event, as well as to those Friends members who stopped by the booth!

The Mansion interior renovation continues to proceed on schedule; we will have an update on this progress at our next meeting.  Here's wishing you the best for a pleasant summer ... looking forward to seeing you in September!!

Thanks,

Jeff Smith,
President
Friends of Perry Hall Mansion

13 July 2009

Welcome to the launch of our new site!

Not a member? Your support is needed to help restore this property to it's Nineteenth Century greatness. Click here and help preserve one of Baltimore County's most historic landmarks!

Do you have stories or photographs of the Mansion you would like to share? We want to here from you! The Friends are always welcoming any new insight into this historic home. Please contact the webmaster.

07 July 2009

2008

Thus far in 2008, there has been a great deal of momentum associated with the historic residence of Perry Hall founder Harry Dorsey Gough. For instance, the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion – an organization that exists so as to manage and maintain this historic property – have coordinated both exterior and interior maintenance projects. The exterior clean-up resulted in the removal of over 3 tons of brush and yard waste!

On other fronts, the Friends have successfully begun the first phase of an archaeological exploration of the Mansion and grounds. The Friends have entered into a partnership with local historic preservationist Mr. William Knauer, who is presently engaged in a magnetometer sweep of the approximately four acres of property surrounding the historic mansion. This surface sweep is to determine the areas where specific artifacts appear to be clustered. A number of historically significant finds have already been made, and have been -- and will continue to be -- on display at various community events.

In addition, the Friends had a strong presence at this summer's Perry Hall Town Fair. Original Mansion occupants Harry Dorsey and Prudence Gough (or at least re-enactors dressed for the part) shared the wonderful legacy of this historic home with fair attendees. Also, a charity raffle was held, with the prize being a print of one of artist Francis Guy's 1803 paintings of the Mansion.

Lastly, after completing extensive consultations with Baltimore County Government, the Friends are pleased to announce that the first phase of the interior renovation of the Mansion is scheduled to begin. Work to be done includes the complete replacement of all electrical wiring, plumbing and fixtures, and the installation of a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. If you are interested in become an active participant of the Friends, just click here!