Past Meets Present: The Return of Victorian Tea Parties
On Feb. 28th, the Lakewood Historical Society hosted the Betsey Nicholson Victorian Tea Party at the historic Nicholson House on Detroit Avenue. Tickets were $25 per person, and the event featured two seatings: 1 – 2:30 p.m. and 3 – 4:30 p.m.
The Nicholson house is the oldest house in Lakewood. Built in 1835 by James and Betsey Nicholson, the house is the perfect example of New England Victorian architecture.
The Nicholsons were Lakewood’s first permanent settlers and helped shape the city of Lakewood that we know and love. In 1870, the house underwent renovations, and in the mid 1800s, a section towards the back of the house was added. The final significant expansion occurred around 1900, when a second story was added.
Today, the Nicholson House hosts weddings, rehearsal dinners, baby showers and more.
The Victorian Tea featured selections from The Tea Lab, with volunteers from H2O assisting with the service.
“The other volunteers and I helped to prepare and dish food, and I also helped serve tea … I got to really interact with guests, and it was really fun to help enhance their experience because it really did feel like a Victorian tea party,” said Lakewood High School junior Maxwell Prasek, a volunteer with H20.
Guests were also served a traditional tea menu consisting of foods like delicate finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers, an assortment of fruits, vegetables, pastries and other various desserts.
Throughout the event, guests enjoyed activities such as decorating their own desserts with various types of frosting. Guests also created Victorian journals, a craft that reflected the era’s customs. “People living in the Victorian era were very big on nature,” said Amy Chodzin, a Lakewood Historical Society member and H2O leader. “They didn’t have the internet to look things up, so they kept journals to save their information.”
Creating journals gave guests some insight into life in the Victorian era. Creating journals gave guests insight into Victorian life. Attendees also viewed authentic toys and parlor games, which were popular pastimes during the era.
As guests were enjoying their food and tea, they were able to listen to some of the history of the Nicholson house and family. Chodzin shared how the Nicholson family traveled west from Cape Cod and originally settled near the Ohio and Pennsylvania border. However, a man already settled in Lakewood — hoping for neighbors — sought someone to make a land trade.
The Nicholson family traveled further west and discovered that the land in Lakewood had much better soil for farming compared to their initial settlement. Chodzin shared stories about the family when they were at the house, which helped to encapsulate the spirit of the tea party.
For many people, the house itself was the primary draw. Guests were also able to walk around throughout the house. They were able to tour private rooms typically closed to the public.
Tea party guest Sharon Benyo said: “The house drew me into the event, it being an old Victorian house, and I thought about how hard of a winter it’s been this year and imagining it for those who once lived here.”
Inside, the Lakewood Historical Society displayed a shelf of Victorian-era artifacts, including period footwear (featuring ballet pointe shoes), antique books and a photograph of students from the former Garfield Elementary School.
