The Newton Historical Society’s Durant-Kenrick House – a cheerful, green, 18th century saltbox on Waverly Avenue – was lit up for Naughty Newton at Night – a risqué, Hamilton-themed fundraiser for the nonprofit known as Historic Newton, with sponsorship by cannabis dispensary Garden Remedies.
The cocktail party portion of the event took place at the back of the main house – in the Education Center – a large, airy structure, strung with festive lights. Posters of a faceless king with the ominous message, “You’ll be back,” hung on the walls. The soundtrack of Hamilton played in the background.
Many attendees were dressed in period costume – including a few women in hoop skirts who carefully navigated their way around the crowded room. Partygoers nibbled on mini-pickles, salami, and pigs in blankets. Some took the costume theme in a surprising direction: There was a colonial Elvis, complete with gold chains, chatting with a woman wearing an impressive bouffant wig.
Allison Pagliaro, Director of Education at the Newton Historical Society, doled out Martha Washington’s punch. When asked if the punch was actually Martha Washington’s invention, Pagliaro would not confirm or deny. All she revealed about the secret recipe was that it consisted of citrus, spices, and “a considerable quantity of Madeira.”
The re-enactor part of the event took place in the attached house/museum. Partygoers went from room to room, learning about life in the 18th century. There was a tavern keeper, an apothecary, and a brothel owner — each with a table of their wares.
First stop on the tour was the tavern owner, Glenn Siner, who explained the role of the tavern in colonial life with an impressive array of liquor. The tavern, he said, was an important center for the male colonists. He noted that, contrary to what one might think, the taverns were stocked with almost everything one could get in England. The colonies were part of a global supply chain, thanks to the British Empire.
“There was a well-worn path between the tavern and the church. One washed away your troubles, and the other offered salvation,” he explained. Women were not welcome in the tavern – with two exceptions: the proprietor’s wife and “another kind of woman,” he said delicately.
Upstairs, the apothecary, Lisa Nichols, had set up a shop with tinctures and dried herbs. She explained that white willow bark steeped in gin for six weeks yields salicylic acid — the active compound in aspirin — without upsetting one’s stomach. Mercury, she said, was used to treat syphilis from the 1400s until the discovery of penicillin in the 20th century. “You were essentially poisoning yourself,” she said.
Also displayed was a pomander ball — an orange stuck with cloves — which she described as a colonial air freshener, recognizable to some partygoers as a preschool project.
Across the hall was Renee Walker-Tuttle, the brothel keeper – excellently adorned in a risqué outfit, complete with panniers – a sort of hip extender. She demonstrated the calash – an enormous collapsible cane-and-silk bonnet designed to protect elaborate powdered wigs – which looked like something out of a horror movie. “The moment I put it on, I could no longer hear my children,” she said. “It was incredible.”
She also demonstrated another accessory — a small velvet mask that barely covered one’s features, held in place by a button bitten between the teeth. It served three purposes: concealing identity, protecting skin from the cold, and keeping women silent (since it is impossible to talk while holding a mask in your teeth).
In the next room were the games – including tabletop bowling and colonial beer pong, as well as the Naughty Name Game – where participants created 18th century aliases based on their first initial and birth month – as in “Lady Newt Strumpet.” A separate room was set up for duels, where people followed the posted historic rules prior to hitting each other with foam swords. For the brave, there was the “Artist’s Studio” where a caricaturist drew portraits.
The participants had much to see and do – interacting with the reenactors, admiring each other’s costumes, playing games, touring the museum, as well as participating in the raffle and the costume contest.
In this reporter’s opinion, Historic Newton put on an extremely well-thought-out, creative, and enjoyable fundraiser, with just the right balance of education and entertainment, offering a glimpse of the 18th century that was as informative as it was fun.
