Friday, May 20, 2011

Visit Tudor Hall in 2011

Spirits of Tudor Hall invites you to visit the first floor of Tudor Hall located at 17 Tudor Lane, Bel Air, Maryland, 21015. The house will be open to visitors on the following Sunday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. As space is limited, please contact us ahead of time if you plan to bring a large group. There is no charge to visit Tudor Hall, but there's a suggested donation of $3.00 for those age 13 and above.

For more information, please phone 443-619-0008 or send an email to: SpiritsOfTudorHall@gmail.com.
  
June 5 and 26; July 10 and 24; Aug. 7 and 21; Sept. 11 and 25; Oct. 9 and 23

What To Expect When You Visit Tudor Hall 

While housing developments have steadily invaded the neighborhood surrounding Tudor Hall, the grounds still magically retain much of their rural charm and are generally open to the public from dawn to dusk every day of the year. Due to limited paved parking, finding a dry place to park can be difficult when the grounds are wet and muddy due to heavy rains or melting snow. Please avoid parking on the grass when the grounds are wet as your vehicle may become seriously stuck and assistance freeing your vehicle may not be readily available.

At the current time, the office of the Harford County Cultural Arts Board is located on the first floor. The other rooms on the first floor are used as meeting space and are furnished accordingly. The offices of the Center for the Arts occupy all the rooms on the second floor. As a result, visitors are not invited upstairs. The Cultural Arts Board is dedicated to encouraging the arts in Harford County in a variety of ways. The Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a home for the arts in Harford County.

Tudor Hall has not been restored and is not furnished with period furniture. Spirits of Tudor Hall guides wear modern clothing rather than period clothing. However, volunteers in Civil War era reproduction clothing are occasionally present.

The guides provide an overview of the entire Booth family, including Junius Brutus Booth Sr., his wife Mary Ann, and their children Junius Jr., Rosalie, Edwin, Asia, John Wilkes, and Joseph. In addition, a brief history of the Booth farm and Tudor Hall is presented. Some limited information about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth is included. However, the primary goal is to inform visitors about the history of the entire Booth family and Tudor Hall. This information will help visitors place John Wilkes within the context of his family and the rural/small town community where he was born and spent much of his childhood.

We're looking forward to welcoming you to Tudor Hall!
See you there!