from a press release:

THE LOCKWOOD-MATHEWS MANSION MUSEUM REOPENS

FOR ITS 44^TH SEASON WITH A LIVING HISTORY CELEBRATION

AND EVENTS FOR ALL AGES

Norwalk, Conn., March 11, 2010 � The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum at 295 West Avenue reopens for its 44^th season on April 7 at noon with docent-guided tours, a living history celebration and an exciting calendar of special events, lectures and art exhibits.

LMMM will kick off its season with an entertaining presentation for children and adults, featuring Abraham Lincoln impersonator Howard Wright. Mr. Wright is a public speaker and living history actor who has appeared as Lincoln throughout the tri-state area. He performed at the State Capitol in 2007, where he recited the Gettysburg Address for Gov. Jodi Rell and was appointed by the governor the following year to serve on the Connecticut Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.� Mr. Wright is one of 17 “Lincolns” from around the country who will be profiled in the 2010 exhibit titled, “Being Lincoln,” at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C.

Howard Wright will make a special appearance as Lincoln at 3 p.m. Children will be able to visit the Mansion and speak to Mr. Lincoln and take part in a unique photo opportunity.

Although there are many Colonial and Revolutionary War sites in Connecticut, no other national historic landmark in lower Fairfield County better portrays the Civil War era and the Gilded Age than the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum.� The four-story, 62-room mansion was built as a summer residence during and shortly after the Civil War by Norwalk native LeGrand Lockwood, a financier who made one of the country’s first million-dollar fortunes on Wall Street and as a government agent selling Civil War bonds overseas.

Opening Day will be a unique opportunity for visitors to connect with mid- to late-19^th century American history and catch a glimpse of what life and people in power were like during Lincoln’s presidency.

“The arts are often the first victim of cost cutting and the ravages of a recession, which makes our mission at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion even more critical,” said Christopher Cooke, LMMM Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Despite the challenges, we are committed to fostering the arts and continuing our mission of educating and inspiring, not only patrons and visitors, but also future generations, so they can appreciate the history and tradition this institution engenders.”

Festivities will continue with a reception for members and guests, 7-9 p.m., featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a lively conversation with Mr. Lincoln. RSVP by April 2 by calling 203-838-9799 ext. 17, or by email info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com.Hotel accommodations for President Lincoln are courtesy of the Norwalk Inn.

LMMM Tours

Throughout the season, a team of knowledgeable guides will offer tours to children and adults and introduce art and history enthusiasts to the Mansion’s grand-scale architecture and Civil War era technology, the splendor of the Gilded Age, the legendary life of Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Lockwood, and the story of the Mathews family, the well-to-do New York dynasty who inhabited the Mansion in the late 19^th century and during the Great Depression.

“In consideration of today’s economic challenges,” said Sheldon R. Gerarden, LMMM President and Executive Director, “we will offer a 50 percent discount on general admission on Opening Day, as we would like as many families as possible to take part in this wonderful celebration.” Tickets will be $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children and young adults 8-18 years old.

During the season, full tours at the mansion are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children and young adults ages 8-18. Children under 8 are admitted free. Tour hours are 12- 4 p.m., Weds-Sun. Tours are on the hour, and the last tour is at 3 pm. For information on educational programs, events and rentals, call 203-838-9799 or e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com

Highlights of upcoming events for Spring 2010

“Top This! History of Top Hats”

April 7-June 30, 12-4 p.m.

Admission: included with the tour

The LMMM’s spring exhibit curated by Stacey Danielson will feature a�selection of�top hats on loan�from Reginald Borgia, who was Vice President of the Hat Corporation of America, a premier American hat manufacturer in Norwalk in the 1930s-1970s.� While a high school student�in the 1940s, Mr. Borgia started to work at the Van Zant Street factory in East Norwalk. He concluded his career in the hat business as president of Kangol, Inc.

Dating from the 1860s through the 1890s, the Hat Corporation’s collection of vintage and antique top hats was sent to stores throughout the country to be used as�displays for special events such as centennial celebrations.� Mr. Borgia inherited the collection when he retired in 1975. Several top hats and hatboxes from the LMMM collection will also be featured.

Many of us are familiar with images of President Lincoln wearing his signature “stovepipe” hat.� Before he became president, Lincoln practiced law and was said to put important legal papers such as contracts and court notes inside the hat for safe keeping.

English haberdasher John Hetherington wore the first top hat in 1797, and according to a newspaper account at the time, there was panic and pandemonium: �“Several women fainted, children screamed, dogs yelped, and an errand boy’s arm was broken when he was trampled by the mob.”��Hetherington ended up in court for wearing a “tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people.”

When Prince Albert started wearing one in 1850, the top hat took off and became extremely fashionable. �By wearing them, the gentlemen of the era were making a fashion statement and emphasizing their self-importance. From 1850 to 1900, men such as LeGrand Lockwood wore top hats for business, leisure and formal occasions. They were popular because they made a man feel taller, handsome and suave.

Felted beaver skin, which was waterproof, became the preferred material for top hats; however, the excessive demand nearly wiped out America’s beaver population by 1900. Mercury had to be used when hats were manufactured with cheaper furs like rabbit.�As a result, workers in poorly ventilated factories became ill with mercury poisoning, which became known as Mad Hatter Syndrome. This is how the phrase “mad as a hatter”�originated. By the early 1900s, mercury was banned from�hat factories.

Top hats, also known as “toppers,” came in a variety of heights from 6 to 8 inches.� The taller models were�known as “stovepipes” or “chimney pots,” largely because they resembled the cityscapes that were dotted with factory smokestacks�in the�1800s.

Regardless of the style of hat, men from every social strata would not be seen in public�without�wearing�one�well into the 1960s.

“A View in the Mansion”

Opening Reception, April 7, 7-9 p.m.

Admission: Free

Opening Day will also feature an exhibition and reception of the Connecticut Pastel Society. The participating artists will include Clayton Buchanan, Marilyn Caissy, John Conroy, Janet Cook, Christine Ivers, Inak Gieysztor, Barbara Groff, Barbara Jenkins, M/M Stephen Linde, Leslie Lillien Levy, Susan Ludwig, Barbara Madden, Carol Moore and Jane Wright Wolf.� The opening reception is 7-9 p.m., and the exhibition will run through May 31.

Christine Ivers, President of the Connecticut Pastel Society, received her Master Circle medal at the International Association of Pastel Societies Convention that was held in Albuquerque, NM in May of 2009. This year she was chosen to have her paintings included in Kennedy Publishing’s “Best in American Artists” Pastel Edition and she is one of Paint America’s National Top 100 Artists. Most recently Chris was awarded the Art Spirit Foundation Silver Medal Award for Excellence in Pastel and was chosen as one of the Top 100 Pastelists by Pastel Journal where she received an Honorable Mention in the Landscape Division.

Her work has won many awards across the country and is part of private and public collections throughout the northeast. Ms. Ivers lives in Central Connecticut.

The Connecticut Pastel Society is a statewide organization that was established 16 years ago by a group of pastel artists headed by Roy Schmid. �Known as CPS, the organization promotes and encourages the fine art of pastel painting through various exhibition opportunities, artist demonstrations, special events, workshops and publication of a newsletter. �A non-profit group, CPS fosters the professional as well as the amateur painter.

Weds-Sun. 12-4 p.m. (After Opening Day)

The LMMM Lecture Series – Opening Wednesday, April 14, 11 a.m.

Admission: $20 for members – $25 non-members

Lunch and a tour of the first floor of the Mansion is included

LMMM is pleased to announce the beginning of its 2010 Lecture Series held once a month throughout the season. Lectures will be followed by a light lunch, courtesy of Bull’s Head Market, and a tour of the first floor of the Mansion. The series begins on Wednesday, April 14, 11 a.m. with “The Man, the Myth, the Legend: P.T. Barnum Highlights Tour,” a lecture by Kathleen Maher, Executive Director/Curator at the P.T. Barnum Museum.

Born in Bethel, Connecticut, P.T. Barnum made Bridgeport his adopted home and ultimately became the primary engineer of the city’s prosperous industrial age.� An entrepreneur, Bridgeport Mayor, Connecticut legislator, urban developer, community benefactor, philanthropist, abolitionist, lecturer, and author, Barnum was committed to the intellectual and cultural development of society and was fundamental in transforming the world of entertainment, defining his legacy with the “Greatest Show On Earth.”� Even today, more than one hundred years after his death, Barnum’s name is recognized the world over, earning him a place as one of America’s greatest national icons.

Ms. Maher, who was Assistant Director and Curator at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum between 1991 and 1998, has envisioned, created and implemented numerous social historical exhibitions and programs that explore themes, ranging from the transformation of family structure and the role of women during the American Civil War to the struggles and triumphs of an emerging 19^th century industrial America.� Ms. Maher holds an MA from New York University and is regularly sought and acknowledged as a guest historian for History Channel, Arts & Entertainment Network, Biography, MSG Network, and the New England Cable Company programming, among others.