Spirits of Tudor Hall Welcomes the Junius B. Booth Society

Logo of the Junius B. Booth Society, Inc. inspired by the image of Junius Brutus Booth Sr. that appears on the obelisk in the Booth family plot at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.

Spirits of Tudor Hall received the following press release from the Junius B. Booth Society today:

The Junius B. Booth Society, Inc. is pleased to announce it is joining forces with Spirits of Tudor Hall to open Tudor Hall for guided tours on a regular basis. Tudor Hall is the historic home of the Booths, Maryland's famous family of Shakespearian actors, including Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth. Beginning on Sunday, April 11, 2010, Spirits of Tudor Hall will open the first floor of Tudor Hall for guided tours twice a month continuing through October 31 (Halloween), 2010.

Junius Brutus Booth, Sr. was one of the most popular actors on the American stage from the early 1820s to the early 1850s. In addition, he was the father of ten children, a Harford County farmer who practiced the latest farming techniques of his time, and an environmentalist and animal rights advocate. It can truly be said he was a man ahead of his time. His son Edwin was a super star of the American stage from the 1850s to 1893. Edwin's brother John Wilkes brought tragedy to the nation and to his family when he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

The Junius B. Booth Society, Inc. was recently incorporated in Maryland to make the public more aware of the history of the Booth family and Tudor Hall, to encourage efforts to collect and preserve that history, and to support the preservation and restoration of Tudor Hall.

Dinah Faber, first president of the Junius B. Booth Society says, "Spirits of Tudor Hall is currently renewing its efforts to create a strong and effective tour guide program at Tudor Hall. Lending meaningful support to these efforts is a natural choice for the Junius B. Booth Society."

For more information or to become a member: http://juniusbooth.org

March 14, 2010, Volunteer Orientation Meeting a Success

On rainy, chilly Sunday afternoon, fourteen "spirits" gathered at Tudor Hall at 1:00 p.m. for a Volunteer Orientation Meeting. Seven potential new volunteers and seven current volunteers attended the meeting.

The agenda included a brief introduction to Spirits of Tudor Hall and a discussion of the volunteer opportunities currently available at Tudor Hall. Information about the organizations that support Spirits was also provided, including the Center for the Arts, the Booth Research Center of the Historical Society of Harford County, and the Junius B. Booth Society.

Spirits of Tudor Hall will be following up with the new volunteers in the coming weeks.

Hot coffee and a variety of delicious treats provided by volunteers helped lift everyone's mood on a dreary, early spring afternoon.

A big thank you to everyone who attended and to those who brought food to share.

Spirits of Tudor Hall Starring You!

Ever since we first organized in 2008, Spirits of Tudor Hall has been in the business of taking something old (Tudor Hall) and creating something new (our tours and our growing sense of team spirit). Not only do we work hard but we have fun as we work together to explore and share the history of Tudor Hall and the Booth family.

There are no membership requirements or dues at the current time beyond providing active support in whatever way suits you best. However, we do encourage our volunteers to consider purchasing a membership in at least one of the organizations that support Spirits of Tudor Hall. Memberships are available in the Center for the Arts, the Historical Society of Harford County, and the Junius B. Booth Society. For more information about becoming a member of these organizations, please contact spirits-of-tudor-hall@msn.com.

If you enjoy “pitching in” and using your skills and knowledge to make things happen, Tudor Hall just might be the place for you. Below is a list of “jobs” that are currently open.

If you’re interested in any of these volunteer positions, please contact us with information about your skills, experience, and qualifications and explain how you would like to put them to work on behalf of Tudor Hall.

For more information, contact Dinah Faber at spirits-of-tudor-hall@msn.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Storytellers

Spirits of Tudor Hall invites anyone with a talent for storytelling to audition to bring to life the story of Tudor Hall and those who have lived there while guiding visitors through the house.

Anyone interested in auditioning should contact Spirits of Tudor Hall for more information, including an application form and guidelines for submitting a brief resume and preparing for an audition.

Actors and Reenactors of Historic “Characters”

The primary goal of Spirits of Tudor Hall is to insure that visitors enjoy visiting Tudor Hall and learning more about the history of the house and the Booth family. A visit to Tudor Hall should not only be educational but entertaining as well.

With that in mind, Spirits of Tudor Hall invites anyone with acting or reenacting experience to audition for the role of any one of several historic figures associated with Tudor Hall for the purpose of welcoming visitors and taking them on a tour of the house while “in character.”

The roles available include any and all the members of the Booth family, Ella Harward Kyle Mahoney who lived at Tudor Hall for nearly 70 years, and any and all members of the Joseph and Ann Hall family (an African American family associated with Tudor Hall from the 1820s into the early 1900s).

Those who successfully complete the audition process will receive assistance in researching the historical character they have chosen to depict and creating a “conversational” script for that character. Once a character and script have been developed and proficiency in depicting the character has been demonstrated, assistance will be provided in choosing, designing, and funding an historically correct costume.

Anyone interested in auditioning should contact Spirits of Tudor Hall for more information, including an application form and guidelines for submitting a brief resume and preparing for an audition.

Speech and Drama Coaches

Our "performers" would benefit from the advice of an experienced speech and/or drama coach who enjoys working with those who are new to the "theatre." If that describes you, we would be delighted to include you in our team. Please contact us with details about your experience and qualifications.

Script and Story Writers

While some of our actors, reenactors, and storytellers may create their own scripts, others may ask for assistance in developing a script or storyline. Anyone with a talent for drafting storylines and writing dialogue is invited to contact Spirits of Tudor Hall for an application form and guidelines for presenting a brief resume and samples of their writing.

History Buffs to Provide Research Assistance

It is important that all information presented to visitors at Tudor Hall be as accurate and complete as possible. While some of our actors, reeenactors, storytellers, and speakers may prefer to do their own research and fact checking, others may appreciate assistance. Anyone with experience researching historic people, places, and events, is invited to contact Spirits of Tudor Hall for an application form and guidelines for presenting a brief resume and examples of successful research projects.

Oral Historians

There are many people in the community who have been associated with Tudor Hall over the years. It is important to collect and record the memories of these individuals. If you enjoy interviewing and photographing people and/or if you are skilled with a tape recorder or video camera and would like to help capture the oral history of Tudor Hall, please let us know.

Reservations Manager

Once the buzz about upcoming tours of Tudor Hall begins to build, requests for reservations start coming in at a steady rate. The reservation manager completes the following tasks:

Checks the Center for the Arts telephone reservation line for requests for reservations.

Follows up with email, snail mail, and/or telephone confirmation of reservations.

Keeps a log of all reservations.

This “job” obviously requires a volunteer who can give attention to details such as  names, phone numbers, and email addresses and who interacts well with the public.

Welcome Visitors on the Front Porch

Weather permitting, visitors participating in tours at Tudor Hall are welcomed on the front porch, and their names are checked against the reservation list. The donation box is also displayed on the front porch. Welcoming visitors, confirming they have a reservation, and keeping an eye on the donation box are important duties generally performed by someone other than the tour guides. 

Gift Shop Sales

A few items related to Tudor Hall and the Booth family are offered for sale in one of the small parlors at Tudor Hall. These items are provided by the Historical Society of Harford County, and all sales benefit the Booth Research Center of the historical society. Anyone with sales experience who would enjoy assisting visitors with their purchases in the gift shop is invited to contact Spirits of Tudor Hall for more information concerning this volunteer opportunity.

Tudor Hall Speakers Bureau

To meet requests from community organizations and schools, Spirits of Tudor Hall needs people with a talent for public speaking to tell the story of Tudor Hall at local meetings and events and in local classrooms.

Actors, reenactors, and storytellers with experience at Tudor Hall may be interested in participating in community outreach of this kind.

Experienced PowerPoint Designer/Developer

Of course, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and a PowerPoint “slide show” would enhance any presentation about Tudor Hall in a classroom or meeting hall. Anyone with experience creating successful PowerPoint presentations is invited to contact Spirits of Tudor Hall about the possibility of developing a PowerPoint presentation for use by members of our Speakers Bureau.

Online Publicity Hound

Attracting visitors to our tours is one of the most time consuming and challenging tasks we face, and it is also one of the most important and satisfying.

We’re looking for a dedicated and reliable person who:

is familiar with local media, including newspapers, web sites, radio, and television

has online computer skills

enjoys giving attention to details

has plenty of time and energy to devote to these tasks

Old-Fashioned Publicity Hound

Even though we live in an electronic age, there is still a need to reach people the old-fashioned way through printed fliers, posters, and letters sent via snail mail.

We’re looking for someone who:

can design attention grabbing printed materials, including fliers that advertise our tours

plan and execute an effective distribution plan for printed materials

occasionally print letters, stuff envelopes, and deliver these materials for mailing to the post office

Facebook & Twitter Fans

While Spirits of Tudor Hall already has a Facebook page, we could use some help making it more effective, lively, and engaging. We have yet to establish a presence on Twitter.

If you have experience creating and managing a successful online Facebook or Twitter page for a business or organization, Spirits of Tudor Hall would certainly welcome your advice and assistance in improving and managing our Facebook page and/or establishing a presence on Twitter and other popular social networking sites.

Photographers

Digital photographs of activities and the change of seasons at Tudor Hall are always needed for the Spirits of Tudor Hall blog and Facebook page. If you have a knack for taking high quality photos and would like to use your experience and talent to capture Tudor Hall in digital images, please email us samples of your work.

Party People

Last but certainly not least. Refreshments are served at every meeting or event sponsored by Spirits of Tudor Hall (this does NOT include tours), and “foodies” who enjoy preparing and serving food and beverages would certainly be very welcome and appreciated at Tudor Hall.

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More Volunteer Opportunities: Going Wild at Tudor Hall!

Bird Watchers: We would be delighted to find volunteers with an interest in bird watching to visit the grounds at Tudor Hall on a regular basis throughout the year to identify and record the wild birds they observe and to create a brochure that will tell visitors what birds they might expect to see at Tudor Hall during the four seasons of the year. While some volunteers might be able to only devote a month or two to the project, others might be able to follow through for an entire year. Please let us know if you agree Tudor Hall is “for the birds.”

Wildflower Enthusiasts: Even though the grounds at Tudor Hall, including the spacious lawns, receive maintenance on a regular basis from the Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation, there are a number of wildflowers that grow and blossom from the spring through the fall at Tudor Hall. We would welcome volunteers to identify and record the numerous varieties of wildflowers at Tudor Hall with the eventual goal of creating a brochure that will tell visitors what wildflowers they might see at Tudor Hall during the spring, summer, and autumn months.

Wildlife Observers: Despite the development that has steadily closed in on Tudor Hall, there are still a number of wild animals who frequently visit the property or make it their home. Getting a glimpse of the deer, foxes, snakes, frogs, and other animals that live in the area and recording their presence and activities would require patience and luck on the part of a volunteer.

Entomologists: A wide variety of insects are active at Tudor Hall throughout the year but especially in the spring, summer, and fall. If you have an interest in insects and would like to prepare information to share with visitors about them, please let us know. However, remember that Junius Brutus Booth Sr. declared Tudor Hall a “no kill” zone even when it came to lowly flies.

Tree Huggers: Over the years, Tudor Hall has been known for the wide variety of large, mature trees that have graced the grounds since the house was built. In fact, while the foundation for Tudor Hall was being built, Junius Brutus Booth Sr. insisted that the black locust trees growing near the building site should not be cut down. Not only are we looking for volunteers to identify and inventory the various kinds of trees and shrubs growing at Tudor Hall today, but we would like like to find a volunteer to create a map showing the location of each of the trees. Our eventual goal is to create a brochure or booklet that will tell visitors which trees they will see when they visit Tudor Hall.

Return of the Big Woods: The neighborhood where Tudor Hall is located was once the home of the “Big Woods.” Carefully planned reforestation of some of the grounds at Tudor Hall would not only reduce the expense to Harford County of maintaining the grounds but would be good for the environment. Researching and writing a proposed reforestation plan for Tudor Hall would be a good science project for a high school student or Eagle Scout.

Wildlife & Nature Photographers: It goes without saying that good quality photos of the birds, wildflowers, trees, and seasons at Tudor Hall would be very useful in creating printed materials and slide or PowerPoint presentation

Mapmakers: Many visitors to Tudor Hall ask where the boundaries of the original Booth farm were located. If you have a knack for creating accurate maps and enjoy working with land records from an earlier time, we would certainly welcome your help in creating accurate maps of the Tudor Hall property as it has evolved through the years and as it exists today.

Archeology Students or Professionals: The grounds at Tudor Hall would be an exciting place to conduct archeological explorations. However, careful, thoughtful, and extensive planning is required. Such planning would take a great deal of research and coordination among a variety individuals and organizations all of which would be very time consuming. Volunteers with training and experience in the field of archeology who are willing to make a substantial commitment of time and energy would be most welcome in helping create a viable plan for eventual review and consideration by the Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Contact spirits-of-tudor-hall@msn.com for more info on any and all volunteer opportunities.

Volunteering at Tudor Hall Is Fulfilling & Fun

Kris Thomson and Sonja Marshall

Ready to Greet Visitors on the Front Porch

Kris Thomson (lead tour guide) chats with visitors to Tudor Hall.

Andrew Jampoler at Bel Air Barnes & Noble Sunday, November 29, 2009

On Sunday, November 29, 2009, Andrew Jampoler, author of The Last Lincoln Conspirator: John Surratt's Flight from the Gallows, gave a very interesting talk about his book at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Bel Air. The Last Lincoln Conspirator tells the story of John Surratt who was one of the men who conspired with John Wilkes Booth to kidnap/assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Surratt escaped and traveled to Europe where he joined the Papal Zouaves. He was eventually captured and brought back to the United States for trial. Surratt's mother, Mary, was hanged for her supposed participation in the assassination of President Lincoln.

For more information about the Last Lincoln Conspirator click on the following link. If the link doesn't work for you, please try copying it and pasting it into your browser window and hitting enter.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Last-Lincoln-Conspirator/Andrew-C-A-Jampoler/e/9781591144076/?itm=1&usri=Last+Lincoln+Conspirator

Catching Up With Steve and Kelly Archer

Left to right:
Steve Archer, Kelly Archer, Ben Knight, Dinah Faber, Wallace Knight.

On Monday, November 16, 2009, Dr. Stephen M. Archer (author of Junius Brutus Booth: Theatrical Prometheus) and his wife Kelly took time out of a very busy day to stop by Sven's Kafe in Columbia, Missouri, for a quick chat with Dinah Faber (Coordinator Spirits of Tudor Hall), Ben Knight (Dinah's husband), and Wallace Knight (Dinah's father-in-law).

Dr. Archer was a faculty member and also served as chair of the theatre department at the University of Missouri for many years and is now retired. Kelly is a talented professional musician. During the course of Steve's research for his biography of the patriarch of the Booth family, Steve and Kelly traveled to many locations associated with the Booths and met many "Boothies." They visited Tudor Hall several times and stayed overnight with Howard and Dorothy Fox. Steve and Kelly remember those years as some of the most enjoyable and exciting times of their lives. Steve and Kelly as well as their son Steve were founding members of the Preservation Association for Tudor Hall.

Several years ago, Steve donated most of his research materials for his biography of Junius Sr. to the Booth Research Center of Harford County, Maryland. Elwin Penski (founder of the Junius B. Booth Society) drove to Columbia, Missouri, in his pick up to retrieve the many boxes containing Steve's research materials.

The materials are currently being entered into the new electronic catalogue at the historical society by volunteer Emily Andrews. Emily recently visited Tudor Hall with Spirit Jill Redding and is very excited and enthusastic about Tudor Hall's potential as an historic site.