Each year we pause in January. While we do this for several reasons, the most important one is to protect the mansion. It is a naturally slower time of year for travelers and local visits, so for up to a month each year we give the building time to rest while we pamper it with a gentle, thorough cleaning, basic repairs, and some glowing polish.

The mansion supports a steady stream of guests seven days a week the rest of the year. The past couple of years have been no exception, and while one would have thought the pandemic might cause things to slow down it seems the opposite happened. After the lock-down we slowed our schedule for a short time, but even through some major preservation projects guests still made us feel like the most popular kids at school. With so many people so interested in our beloved mansion, we must take the time to make sure it is supported and ready to provide thousands more guests with the opportunity to experience an important link to our community’s past and present.

We are a self-funded historic house museum. The same part-time staff that plans and produces Clue Games, Murder Mystery Dinners, Codebreakers and Mysteries at the Moss experiences, Brew-seum events, Halloween and Christmas festivities and private weddings and occasions are responsible for caring for the museum collection, giving tours and creating interpretative materials, applying for short-term grants, planning for preservation projects, developing educational programming, training volunteers, basic operation of the facility and more. This is our time to carefully reflect on the past year and look ahead to the new one with fresh ideas, and at the same time to stop and listen to the mansion and pay close attention to all the small details that can be overlooked in the normal everyday bustle.

So come see us soon! We are getting ready for a great 2022!