Mabel Hartzell House Tour – Guest Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

The guest bedroom was the room that Mabel Hartzell used most of her life. As with the other bedrooms, it contains an Italian marble fireplace. As with the other bedrooms, a large flat stone that would be heated in the fireplace and then run between the bedsheets to warm the bed on cold winter nights can be seen.

The tall headboards are a notable feature of the beds in these rooms. Before the days of centralized heating and good insulation, the tall headboards would help block cold drafts leaking through outside walls.

Some items of interest in this room include:

• Matthew and Mary Earley’s wedding certificate from 1865.
• Clothing from Mabel Hartzell’s collection including hoop slips and dressing gowns.
• A wicker desk and chair displaying Mabel Hartzell’s report cards. All her grades were very high, by the way.

Guest Bedroom

An heirloom wreath made from human hair hangs in a shadowbox on one of the walls. In the 19th century, it was common practice to save one’s hair in a hair pot after brushing one’s hair. The hair would be woven or braided into a decorative wreath to be presented to the family as a memento upon the person’s death.

Our final stop is the maid’s bedroom.