Franklin Historical Museum: The Brides Return in June

The Franklin Historical Museum will open its annual Bridal Gown Exhibit in coordination with this year’s Downtown Partnership’s Strawberry Stroll on Friday, June 8. The museum will open early, at 4:00 PM for this special event.

This year’s exhibit will focus on Franklin brides and their vintage mid-century gowns from our collection. The display will include Emma Velluti’s famous Parachute Dress, a one of a kind original creation of a wartime gown locally designed and hand made from a silk Japanese parachute sent home by her groom, Edward Rabioli, in 1946. The train on this dress is so long, the dress needs a room of its own to be displayed. Also included is the beautiful preserved gown worn by Franklin’s own Stella Jeon. Stella’s daughter donated the dress, still boxed in its preserved state, to the museum after her death. 

The gown had been professionally preserved, as many gowns were in those days. When the carefully wrapped and sealed box was opened, it was the first time anyone had seen the dress in over 60 years and the first time Stella’s daughter had seen it other than in photographs. The dress along with many mementos from Stella and Nick’s wedding day will be showcased together for this display.

The exhibit includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and stories of the brides, their grooms and their special day.

At least a dozen beautiful vintage gowns will be on display in the exhibit that runs through the summer from Friday June 8 through Sunday August 26.

Two special presentations will take place in conjunction with exhibit. 

Why do brides wear white? Does a slice of wedding cake under your pillow bring good luck? Learn all about wedding traditions, superstitions and their origins in Something Borrowed, Something Blue on Sunday July 8. 

And on Sunday August 12, Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective returns to share clues in how to identify people in family photos. She’ll focus her talk on wedding photos, styles and fashion hints. The Photo Detective’s presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the Franklin Historical Museum. Both presentations begin at 1:15.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, is wheelchair accessible and is always free.

wedding dress on exhibit in 2013

Stella's Pretty Dress (video)

The inside story on one of the wedding dresses on display at the Franklin Historical Museum this summer.

Bridal Gown Display at the Franklin Historical Museum

"We also have a beautiful 1950’s gown from Priscilla of Boston. Trimmed in delicate blue flowers, this gown is a favorite at the museum. And we’re very proud to have on display again this year the gown worn by Franklin’s own Stella Jeon. The lovely gown, gloves, hat and veil had been preserved for nearly 60 years before being opened and presented to the museum as Stella wished. Photographs and keepsakes from her wedding are also on display."

More about the wedding gown display
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/06/bridal-gown-display-opens-at-franklin.html





For more about the event, visit the Historical Museum on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FHM02038/

or the Historical Museum webpage  http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/

Wedding Gown Exhibit

June (10.8%) may be the most popular month for weddings with August (10.2%) a close second but May (9.8%) and July (9.7%) come right behind along with September (9.4%) and October (9.2%).

So this is still prime wedding season and the Historical Museum can provide a comfortable setting to view some gowns and stories from Franklin weddings.

The Franklin Historical Museum's summer Wedding Gown Exhibit is presently on display at the museum. 11 gowns ranging from 1890 to the 1960s are on display along with photos and stories of the brides who wore them. 

Featured this year is the gown worn by beloved Franklin teacher, Palma Johnson, whose Kennedy school class had legislation passed to have the Lady Bug named as Massachusetts official state bug! 

The parachute gown is one again on display as well as many mother/daughter displays of gowns from both generations. 

The museum is located at 80 West Central Street in the old Town Hall, is handicap accessible and is open

• Saturdays 10:00am-1:00pm,
• Sundays 1:00pm-4:00pm
• Thursday evenings 5:00pm-8:00pm.

wedding gown on display at the Franklin Historical Museum

wedding gown on display at the Franklin Historical Museum

For additional information on the Historical Museum visit their webpage
http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/

or on Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/FHM02038


Note the wedding statistics came from this page
http://www.soundvision.com/article/wedding-statistics-in-the-united-states

1 reason to stop at Franklin's Historical Museum today

During the Strawberry Stroll:

"The wedding gowns are up! Visit us Thursday night during the Annual Strawberry Stroll, stop by this weekend or any time we are open. We have the Palma Johnson's wedding dress, Claire Thibedeau's dress, a gown from 1890, a gown worn by mother and daughter, gowns fromt the 40's and 50's, the 'parachute dress' and more. Come and enjoy this display that has become one of our most popular!"

lace detail of one wedding gown

At 7:00 PM, just as the Stroll ends, Susan Elliot will talk about her research into slavery in Franklin at the Franklin Public Library.

Slavery in Franklin? Records show that there were in fact men and women of color owned as property, not only in the South, but throughout New England and by prominent Franklin families in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Susan Elliott's informative exhibit, with details about slaves in our town is now on display at the museum. Learn about a man named Ceasar owned by the Pond family. Extensive research was done in preparation for this revealing exhibit.

Historical Museum display on slavery in Franklin

Photos from the Historical Museum Facebook collection

Visit the Historical Museum online here   http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/

Franklin Historical Museum: The Wedding Dresses are back. Now through the end of July

A display of wedding dresses from the museum's collection as well as gowns on loan fill the museum with beauty, elegance and nostalgia. Learn a little bit about the history of the wedding gown style and when a famous royal greatly influenced style, making white the color of choice for brides. 

The ever popular Parachute dress made from a Japanese parachute sent home to the bride Emma Veluti by her groom Edward Rabioli during WWII. This 1940's gown designed by Ida Santoro features a beautiful 15ft court train. 

A new gown on display this year was worn by Stella Kehoyas in 1956 when she married Nicholas Jeon. Many Franklin residents will remember that Stella and Nick Jeon ran 'Jimmies' uptown, on the bridge for many years. Stella went on to entertain with her thoughtful interviews of notable Franklin residents. 

Another new gown in the exhibit represents the beautiful detail of the modern age and was worn by the late Cheryl Getchell at her 1993 wedding to Michael Vendetti. 

The oldest gown in the collection, made with whalebone stays in the lace trimmed bodice, is the 1890 dress worn by Julia Clausmeyer when she married her groom John Daesen. Lace from this gown was used 45 years later to make the hat that completed the outfit of Mrs. Daesen's daughter, Florence May Daesen at her 1935 marriage to Edward Murphy. 

The delicate white chiffon dress worn by Jeannett LaBastie on the day she wed Edmund Pisani is also part of the display. 

The gowns are accompanied by photos, stories and memorabilia that complete the picture of the dresses and the brides that wore them. 

one of the wedding gowns on display

Visit the museum

• Thursday evenings from 5:00PM to 8:00PM
• Saturdays from 10:00AM to 1:00PM 
• Sundays from 1:00PM to 4:00PM.

The Franklin Historical museum is located at 80 West Central Street, Route 140.

Wedding Gowns at the Franklin Historical Museum

This summer the popular Wedding Gown Exhibit has returned once again to the Franklin Historical Museum. Volunteers from the Franklin Historical Commission have been hard at work sewing, mending, ironing, dressing mannequins and researching in preparation for the exhibit.

wedding dress on exhibit

The ever popular Parachute Gown from the 1940’s, worn by Emma Velluti and made from silk material from a Japanese parachute, sent home by the groom Edward Rabaioli, is the centerpiece dress once again this year. A gown from the late 1800s with accent pieces recently discovered by comparing photographs to items in the museum’s bridal collection is on display. A beautiful Pricilla of Boston gown from 1954 adorned with tiny blue flowers is shown. On loan for the exhibit is a hoop style gown worn by Rosalie DeBaggis at her wedding to Charlie Crevo in 1959 as well as Rosalie’s mother’s Flapper Style wedding dress from 1930. Most dresses have pictures or stories to accompany them along with names, dates and details of the couples.

wedding dress on exhibit

Have you ever wondered when the fashion for brides to wear white began? It wasn’t always the case. Where did the custom to wear ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue’ come from? Why does the bride throw her bouquet? Just how much influence did a young Queen Victoria have on today’s modern weddings? You’ll find it out when you visit the Franklin Historical Museum from now through mid September and experience the Wedding Gown Exhibit.

The Museum is open Thursdays 5:00-8:00pm; Saturdays 10:00am – 1:00pm and Sundays 1:00pm – 4:00pm and is located at 80 West Central Street, downtown Franklin.


Visit the Franklin Historical Museum website here
http://www.franklinhistoricalmuseum.com/

Text and photos provided by the Franklin Historical Museum

Wedding dresses weren't always white

The Milford Daily News has an article on the wedding dress exhibit currently showing at Franklin's Historical Museum. Wedding dress through the ages are displayed so you can see the changes and development.

"In Victorian times, everything was covered, whereas now — how do I put this diplomatically — everything is exposed," she said. 

In contrast to the symbolic bride of the present, who practically glows as she walks down the aisle in her milky white gown, Ferguson said gowns for much of the 1900s were beige or off-colored. 

Pure white gowns did not emerge until the 1960s, she said.

Franklin's Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central St.
http://www.franklinhistoricalmuseum.com/p/location-and-hours.html

Read more of the article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x866121845/Franklin-exhibit-traces-gowns-through-the-years#ixzz22weB6k19