Victoria Mansion

If you are visiting the Mansion this Saturday, be aware that there will be a road race through parts of Portland. Although the course does not go directly by us, we advise allowing extra time to navigate through any street closures along your way.
https://oldporthalfmarathon.com/

In observance of Juneteenth (June 19th), we are offering a community day with free admission and a special activity. We invite guests to celebrate the final reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, held in Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865. We will tell the stories of individuals enslaved by the Morses in New Orleans, whose lives we work to uncover and share.

Tour admission is free on Juneteenth, but capacity is limited. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made on our website: https://victoriamansion.org/event/juneteenth-2026/

📷Original artwork “Foundation for the Present, Paid in the Past” by New Orleans artist Carl Joe Williams

As we finish our month-long celebration National Textile Day, we wanted to give a shout out to the people and organizations that helped us with the Legacy of Silk & Satin exhibit. Thank you to Victoria Mansion Christmas designers Theresa Ruel, Lesley Turnbull and Sarah Coughlin, as well as Sara Bruce from I Do Bridal Alterations by Sara and the Maine Historical Society for loaning us display materials.
We are especially grateful to Ruth Herold Marcel. Many of the dresses, veils, bouquets, cake toppers and other wedding decorations in the vignettes were from Ruth's personal collection. We appreciate her generousity in sharing them with us!

📷 Victoria Mansion guide Hannah Marcel Field with her grandmother, Ruth Herold Marcel, in the Mansion Parlor with some of the wedding clothing that Ruth loaned for the exhibit.

May's special exhibit, "A Legacy of Silk and Satin", features four brides whose wedding celebrations took place at Victoria Mansion.

The oldest Libby daughter, Edith Libby, married William Cutter on June 23, 1897, in the Parlor of the Mansion. Her sister Mary Louise stood as her maid of honor.
One newspaper report described it as a "distinctively pink and white wedding" and that "Mr. David Webster... and a corps of assistants have been busily engaged all day in transforming the interior into a bower of beauty." (Mr. Webster was a designer at the JR Libby store and later worked for the Libby family as a cook.)

"A Legacy of Silk and Satin" will continue through the end of May. There are beautiful wedding dresses and vignettes throughout the house as part of the regular tour. We recommend buying tickets in advance on our website to make sure you have a time that will fit your schedule. victoriamansion.org/visit-us/

📷1. Edith Libby's bridal portrait 2. June 24, 1897, article from Portland Daily Press