Hi! Millie again! Today, I am on the second floor today of Buccleuch Mansion, checking out the Victorian bedroom. Can you spot me peeking out from the headboard?
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The bed has a really BIG ornate carved headboard and footboard. The style is Victorian and the pieces are from the estate of Miss Helen and Miss Julia Williamson. The furniture suite was bought by their parents in 1875 and was used in the Williamson home in New Brunswick until 1962. 

In here, there are several funny items: a hair wreath and other hair art; and a stuffed chair with one arm which is called a “bustle chair.  Ladies wore dresses with big bustles and needed the room to sit, so one arm had to go!  ​

The marble-topped dresser (above) holds many personal and decorative items, including a hat and hat stand, a hat pin holder, perfume bottles and a dresser tray for rings and decorative pins. So fancy!

Each bedroom has a complete set of chamber pots. Imagine washing and brushing your teeth in your bedroom! Now, the mansion has a modern bathroom you can use when you visit. Whew!

If you look out of the bedroom windows, you will see the flower gardens and Buccleuch Park. On sunny days, the sun shines brightly through the western facing windows.

Several items from the children’s collection are displayed in this room, too, including a 19th century rocking horse. There is a connecting closet to the Colonial bedroom which has shelving and lighting, and the ladies use it for rotating displays of the vast Buccleuch Mansion collection.

I'm off to more adventures! I promise I will share them in my upcoming post!

​​Millie's family lived in the mansion from the very beginning of the building. Learn about the story of her life in Colonial America through her observations and adventures as she shares the history of the New Brunswick area with young visitors.

Hi, it's me, Millie!

I'm excited to share with you the main entrance of the Buccleuch Mansion Museum, the main hall. The entrance we use to access the house is the door that opens out into Buccleuch Park facing Easton Avenue.​

The entrance hall has painted wallpaper with scenes of Paris (above) from about 1815. It was hung on the walls in 1819. If you look toward the far end of the hall you will see a golden eagle over the front door. It is carved out of one single block of wood! Next to the front door hangs a stick barometer made in the early 19th century. It is marked G. Bradford, London! The tall clock is the one quoted in the "Tale of the Old Stair Head Clock" story.​

Now, when you look up at the staircase, you can see the old hand-sewn fire buckets (above) that belonged to Dr. Moses Scott and were used to fight fires, long before there were firefighters, fire trucks and fire stations. Colonial laws required each house to be equipped with one bucket for each chimney. You will see two buckets hanging on the second story and two on the third story, near the staircase for easy reach!

I hope you enjoyed by tour of the main hall! Until next time!​

​Millie's family lived in the mansion from the very beginning of the building. Learn about the story of her life in Colonial America through her observations and adventures as she shares the history of the New Brunswick area with young visitors.

Hi there! It's me, Millie Mouse, back with a new room to show you! Can you spot little 'ol me in the bin by the fireplace?

This is the Colonial Parlour. It's another special room in Buccleuch Mansion. Check out the checkerboard floor! It's painted in the color Prussian Blue, and it's my favorite color in the house. It's much brighter than the colors most people would have on their walls at home. In colonial times, having painted walls and floors that were painted to look like carpet was a sign of a wealthy homeowner. 

This room is named for Anthony White, who was the the original owner and builder  of Buccleuch Mansion in 1739. Then, the house was known as White House Farm. Later, when Col. Joseph Warren Scott and his family moved in, he renamed the house in honor of his Scottish ancestor the Duke of Buccleuch.

The parlor is furnished with a lovely Queen Anne sofa and wing chair. Anthony White’s portrait hangs on the wall, over the yellow-gold chair.

​Here I am ready to take a ride in the children’s carriage that is on display in the parlor!

Anthony and Elizabeth's son, Anthony Walton White, was only 25 years old at the outbreak of the American Revolution. Against his parents' loyalist wishes, he joined the army of General George Washington against the British. The rest, as you say, is history! 

There is also a lot of other furniture in the room that tells the story of the home. There is an old black chair near the corner of the Colonial Parlour. It is rumored to have been sat in by General George Washington himself when he visited Col. Scott’s father (Dr. Moses Scott) in New Brunswick.

The very tall mahogany clock and case works (the parts that run the clock) were made by local New Brunswick craftsmen. Several other furniture pieces in the parlor were made by New Jersey craftsmen.

Signing off for now! Be sure to look for me throughout the house when you visit! 

​Millie's family lived in the mansion from the very beginning of the building. Learn about the story of her life in Colonial America through her observations and adventures as she shares the history of the New Brunswick area with young visitors.

Hi, there! Millie again! Today, I am on the second floor, checking out the Federal Bedroom. Can you see me peaking out from the pitcher and washbowl, or underneath the chair?

So this is the Federal Bedroom. It's painted in a deep federal blue wall color. The bed is called a tester bed from the Sheraton period (1830s) and has four carved bed posts that support the canopy.

On the left of the bed is a secretary desk made by Oliver Parsell who was a furniture maker in New Brunswick. He made this desk around 1800-1815. There are trunks and hat boxes at the foot of the bed that would have been used by the family when traveling. 

There is an iron stove, made around 1858, that is labeled H. Backus, 233 Water St., NY - Backus Empire Grate; Number 2. This iron stove likely burned coal to keep the bedroom warm, since there was no central heat until the mid-late 20th century.

There are several chamber sets, like a pitcher and wash bowl (above, left), some include a shaving mug, a small pitcher, chamber pot with cover, covered buchet, covered soap dish, and toothbrush holder. These were generally set on a wash stand that held the bowl and pitcher securely. There is also a commode chair upholstered in yellow brocade (above, right). The seat lifts off to use the chamber pot that is placed below the seat. It's a fancy indoor toilet from around 1925!

Out the windows of this bedroom, I can see the Raritan River and remember what the view would have looked like in the 1700s. There were ships running up and down the river to Raritan Landing, which is on the opposite side of the river in Piscataway. Ships that would have brought supplies, new colonists and all types of exotic goods from the Caribbean islands and Europe. This used to be a very busy river port! 

I'm off on more adventures! And I will share them with you soon!

​Millie's family lived in the mansion from the very beginning of the building. Learn about the story of her life in Colonial America through her observations and adventures as she shares the history of the New Brunswick area with young visitors.

Hi – Millie again!  I can't wait to explore the main dining room of the house with you!

The dining room is located on the first floor of Buccleuch Mansion, to the immediate right of the main staircase that takes  you to the upper floors. It is decorated in the Federal period, which means it features simple decor with swags and garlands.

The picture above shows me in a food warmer cabinet that would have been used near the fireplace to keep hot cooked dishes warm for serving. Luckily, it's no longer in use anymore and I was safe to sit in it!

The two doors on the left of the fireplace enclose a storage closet that wraps under the back stairs. It leads to the Dey bedroom on the second floor. This staircase would have been used by the servants to clean and service the bedrooms on the second floor of the mansion without being seen on the main staircase.

This household would have had servants to help with the cleaning and maintenance, like a cook and maybe a cook’s helper to do the cooking, food preservation, serving and cleaning. With the house being located on the Raritan River,  there would have been easy access to the ships coming from Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and the Caribbean islands, supplying foods from all of them.

The oval mirror opposite the door from the hallway is called a Bull’s Eye Mirror and
was made about 1790, with a carved eagle on the top. It hangs next to the large side
door that leads to the original kitchen of the house, which would have served to prepare all the food for the main house. Originally, the kitchen was in a totally separate building to prevent fire catching to the main house, but it was attached to the mansion in the 1800’s. It is now an apartment for the building’s caretaker and not open to the public.

There are three portraits of the children of Joseph Warren Scott that hang in the dining room. The children, Moses Scott, Lavinia Scott and Cornelia Scott were painted
around 1830-1850. The Scott children were raised in Buccleuch Mansion, and I remember fondly peeking in at them while they played!

I can't wait to 'dine' with you at the Mansion one day!