Date:  Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Time:  6:00pm program at PBHH, followed by dinner at The Propylaeum

Cost:  $120.00 per couple ($60 per person)

Description:   A romantic evening of Victorian love letters, poetry and readings at the President Benjamin Harrison Home, followed by dinner at the Indianapolis Propylaeum. The evening is a re-creation of an actual occasion that took place in May of 1902. For two nights, English's Opera House boasted a line-up of the richest literary talent in the country and a spectacular audience.  The Indianapolis newspapers described it as the greatest audience ever assembled in the English Opera House. The occasion was a benefit for a memorial to Benjamin Harrison. The result of the two evenings of public readings by renowned authors is the statue of Harrison~a fitting tribute~that stands in University Park. The talent for the evening:

ELLIS HALL as GEORGE ADE ~ DONNA WING as CAROLINE HARRISON

JIM TROFATTER AS BENJAMIN HARRISON ~ TRAVIS DiNICOLA as BOOTH TARKINGTON

All of the readings you will hear during the “Romance and Remembrance” event are by authors who participated on the 1902 occasion. In some cases, the same material will be read.  In the master bedroom of the Harrison Home, guests will be treated to a glimpse of the love and devotion shared by Benjamin and Caroline Harrison. Please call for more details and/or to reserve: 317-631-1888.

Date:  Monday, February 19, 2007

PRESIDENT'S DAY!  NEW EXHIBIT OPENS!

Time:  10:00am to 3:00pm (Tours on the hour and half-hour.)

Cost:  $7.00 adults  $4.00 children (ages 5 to 17)

Description:  Visit the President Benjamin Harrison Home and listen to the conversations and gossip of the day as you enter each room and meet and speak with family members and household staff, whose roles are recreated by exceptional actors. The past comes alive with accurate portrayals of Harrison and his household staff!  As visitors tour the three-story 1875 Italianate Victorian home, they may meet old friends of the Harrison family–Josie, the family seamstress; Delia, the cook; Charles, the butler; and Benjamin Harrison, the 23^rd President of the United States.

Date:  Monday, March 5, 2007

Time:  10:00am to 3:30pm (Tours on the hour and half-hour.)

Cost:  Please refer to daily tour costs.

Description:   On March 5, 2007, the Indiana Supreme Court and the Capitol Tour Office will, in conjunction with the Harrison Home, celebrate "Benjamin Harrison Day." In 2003, Chief Justice Randall T. Shepherd "pardoned" Benjamin Harrison in absentia for abandoning the post of Supreme Court Reporter.  Mr. Harrison "abandoned" his post to fight in the Civil War, but the issue was never resolved until March 4, 2003.  The entire court proceeding was archived and is available to watch at the Supreme Court web site.  Just follow the link to find the information about Harrison Day.

Until Franklin Delano Roosevelt, inauguration was held on March 4th. This date allows us to celebrate the anniversary of Benjamin Harrison’s inauguration as Indiana’s only United States president.  This year 4^th-12^th grade students across the state are given the charge of helping Mr. Harrison recruit Civil War volunteers for the Union Army.  All student work for the contest will be posted in the State House for visitors to see.  There will be a first-person enactment of the Harrison court case, Ex-Parte Milligan, done in the Supreme Court that will be webcasted and archived.  This event will take place at 10:00am and again at 11:30am on March 5 at the Indiana State House.  All school groups that attend the Harrison Day proceedings are invited to visit the President Benjamin Harrison Home afterwards.  Due to limited seating at the State House, this event requires reservations.  Please call (317) 631-1888.  

Dates:  Fridays and Saturdays, April 20, 21, 27, 28, May 4, 5

Time:  Curtain at 8:00pm

Cost:  $18.00 per person  $15.00 members and seniors  

***Special group rates available (please call for more details)***

Featured Plays:  "ROMANCE IN A FLAT" by Georges Feydeau

"A MATTER OF WIFE AND DEATH" by Eugene Labiche

"THE POLICE CHIEF IS AN EASYGOING GUY" by Georges Courteline

ABUNDANT THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS:

BKD, LLP ~ ICE MILLER ~ WING ARTS AND HUMANITIES FUND ~ MORRIS-BUTLER HOUSE MUSEUM

Description:  The French have a way with farcical comedy.  Their plots are outrageous, their characters clueless, their resolutions hilarious, and their timing impeccable.  However, many 19th century French playwrights never lived to enjoy their own success.  Their plays were often relegated to back alley theatres as their work was considered too risque for the period.  

This April, three Victorian French farces will be showcased here at the museum in the "Victorian Theatre by Candlelight" production of "Madness, Mockery, and Mayhem."  Three different one-act plays will be presented in each of three rooms of the presidential mansion.  Audiences will rotate through the rooms to see the plays performed by candlelight and other ambient lighting.  As the furnishings and artifacts of the Home are contemporaneous with the era of the plays, the audience becomes immersed in history; they are more than spectators.

"Romance in A Flat," written by the father of French farce, Georges Feydeau, will be staged in the master bedroom.  In this debacle of mistaken identity, a young woman awaiting her new music teacher is inadvertently faced with a curious stranger who has come to the wrong flat.  The stranger's questionable motives are at odds with the usual expectations of a maestro.

The dining room is the setting for Eugene Labiche's "A Matter of Wife and Death."  Mistaken motives are rampant in this play where a rather bizarre and persistent gentleman from America proposes marriage to a woman he has never met.  His attraction to her is based on some pretty unusual circumstances.  

Georges Courteline, best known for his satires of the Parisian legal system, takes another punch at the establishment in "The Police Chief is an Easygoing Guy."  Performed in the library, a bumbling yet arrogant police chief is deluged by a colorful parade of characters harboring legal complaints, as well as some idiosyncrasies. 

For more theatre information, please visit www.donnawing.com.  Call (317) 631-1888 for tickets.   

Date:  Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Time:  10:00am to 3:00pm (Tours on the hour and half-hour.)

Cost:  $7.00 adults  $4.00 children (ages 5 to 17)

Description:  Visit the President Benjamin Harrison Home and listen to the conversations and gossip of the day as you enter each room and meet and speak with family members and household staff, whose roles are recreated by exceptional actors. The year is 1898, and the past comes alive with accurate portrayals of Harrison and his household staff!  As visitors tour the three-story 1875 Italianate Victorian home, they may meet old friends of the Harrison family–Josie, the family seamstress; Delia, the cook; Charles, the butler; and Benjamin Harrison, the 23^rd President of the United States.

Date:  Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Time:  2:00pm to 4:00pm

Cost:  $15.00 advance tickets  $18.00 at the door

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS:

MARY TUCKER JASPER FUND ~ GARFIELD PARK MASTER GARDENERS ~ MILLAR COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES, INC. ~ THE COLUMBIA CLUB ~ GREENPRINTS 

Description:  The annual program endowed by Mary Tucker Jasper's daughter and son, Jamia Jasper Jacobsen and Paul Tucker Jasper, will present Pat Stone, editor, publisher and creator of GreenPrints ("The Weeder's Digest"), telling the "Best Garden Stories Ever Told."  As co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul: 101 Stories to Make the Heart Bloom," Stone will sign copies of his book and CDs (offered for purchase) at the event.  The second year of the Mary Tucker Jasper Speaking Series has much in store!  Join us for a humorous and moving presentation!  Ticket price includes refreshments, a garden stroll, and admission to the "Floral Reflections" special exhibit of Caroline Harrison prints and photographs--past and present--of the museum grounds and gardens.

Date:  Saturday, June 9, 2007

Time:  8:30am to 3:00pm

Cost:  $100.00 per team of two (lunch included, reservations required)

FOR A SLIDESHOW OF THE JUNE 9 TOURNAMENT, CLICK HERE:

Description:  Watch out Colts!  There's a new game in town!  Join us for the 13^th annual "Wicket World of Croquet®" hosted by the President Benjamin Harrison Home.  This croquet tournament provides funds for the educational programs and restoration at the museum that served over 16,000 of Indiana's youth in 2006.  The tournament offers the Indianapolis community an opportunity to enjoy croquet as it was meant to be played.  Of course, there is no better place to play this game than on the south lawn of "Indiana's Presidential Home."  We hope you will join in the fun and fundraising that has become a celebrated Indianapolis tradition.

WICKET THANKS TO OUR EVENT AND COURT SPONSORS:  GREGORY AND APPEL INSURANCE CO. ~ JANE & ANDY PAINE ~ THE NATIONAL BANK OF INDIANAPOLIS ~ BRENWICK DEVELOPMENT CO. ~ LDI, LTD. ~ KRIEG DEVAULT LLP ~  STEVENS & STEVENS, LLC ~ MR. AND MRS. FRANK RUSSELL ~ RATIO ARCHITECTS, INC. ~ ALAN HOGAN ~ THE WILLKIE & SELM FAMILIES 

Date:  Monday, July 2, 2007

Time:  10:00am to 11:00am

Cost:  FREE

Description:  On July 2, 2007, the south lawn of the President Benjamin Harrison Home will be the site of the summer naturalization ceremony for people who have qualified for United States citizenship.  Families and friends of these celebrants will be present to witness this exciting day. Judge Sarah Evans Barker will preside over the court ceremony.  President Benjamin Harrison Home Foundation Board President, Thomas A. King, will welcome the guests to this site and invite them to tour the President's home after the ceremony.  The ceremony will take place in a tent on the south lawn of the Harrison property with seating available for 300 people. Parking will be available at: the Knights of Columbus Parking Lot (Delaware & 13^th Street) and all along Delaware Street (which is free and non-permit).

Date:  Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Time:  11:30am to 3:30pm (last tour begins at 3:00pm)

Cost:  $8.00 adults  $4.00 students  (Children 4 and under are free.)

Description:  Cold ice cream on a hot day is always inviting, especially when it is the Fourth of July.  Enactors and live music will fill the President Benjamin Harrison Home with summertime sounds and memories.  Silly Safaris, croquet and a variety of Victorian games will be available on our spacious south lawn.  Special activities will include a scavenger hunt for children and a re-enactment of President Harrison's July 4, 1888, acceptance speech (which he gave from his Delaware Street home) to be the nominee for President of the United States.  Residence to Indiana’s only U.S. President, the Harrison Home is an ideal location to celebrate the Fourth of July.  A wonderful idea for those who want to enjoy a spirited yet relaxed atmosphere before the fireworks.  

Activities throughout the day include:

• Thomas Jefferson enacted by David Best inviting guests to sign a copy of the Declaration of Independence with a quill feather pen.
• A historical treasure hunt for children, featuring questions that can be answered by participating in the “LIVE” tour of the President’s home. 
• Silly Safaris live animal show featuring Safari Steve...a chance for children to see the animals up-close (from 1pm to 3pm).
• A team of Indianapolis Fire Department fire fighters providing tours of a fire truck and teaching about fire and fireworks safety. 
• Krista Hayes teaching scrap-booking techniques.
• Refreshments available for individuals’ purchase, including Traders Point Creamery ice cream, and hot dogs by Catered By Chef Mike. 
• Live music provided by The White River Jazz Band. 
• Patriotic items available in the Harrison Home gift shop. 

Click here for a printable flyer and more information!

Date:  Monday, August 20, 2007

Tour Times:  10:00am to 3:30pm (last tour begins at 3:00pm)

Tour Costs:  FREE today!

Description:  Happy 174th Birthday, Mr. President!  Enjoy a free tour and complimentary birthday cake to celebrate.  

Date:  Friday, September 14, 2007

Time:  5:00pm to 9:00pm

Cost:  $70.00 per person  

Description:  Enjoy the beauty of the historic Old Northside Neighborhood this fall while participating in a wonderful fundraising event for the President Benjamin Harrison Home and the Morris-Butler House Museum.  As you stroll from site to site, you will be provided with a tour of each location (six in all) and enjoy the ambiance of each setting while being served one of the courses of a six-course meal.  Among the featured locations will be the Morris-Butler House Museum (hors d'oeuvres and wine), Dewolf-Allerdice Bed and Breakfast (soup), Old Northside Bed & Breakfast (salad), President Benjamin Harrison Home (sorbet), The Propylaeum Club (dinner), and the Butler-Vonnegut House (dessert).  The six-course dinner and tours are included with the cost.  Reservations are required and can be made by calling the Morris-Butler House Museum: 317-636-5409.

Dates:  Fridays and Saturdays, October 12 and 13, 19 and 20

Performance Times: 5:30pm, 6:00pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm, 7:30pm, 8:00pm, 8:30pm

(Note: Each of these times is the start of a progressive play that lasts approximately 45-50 minutes.)

Cost:  $10.00 adults, $6.00 students (ages 6 to 17)  

Description:  Something is amiss!  The President Benjamin Harrison Home has become the focal point for aberrations of the most ghastly kind: Ghosts!  Ghosts have converged upon the Home.  And not just any ghosts, but those of people having lived (and died) during the Civil War (or The Great Inconvenience as those in the South would say).  Why have these tormented spirits come to Benjamin Harrison's home at this time?  Is there a connection between their appearance and the fact that Harrison served with General Sherman on his March through Georgia?  What do they wish to tell us?  The home has hired a psychic (I. C. Itall) to contact these phantasms to determine why they have come and how they can be exorcised to make the home safe again for living visitors.  Yet, initial contacts with these ghosts indicate that it is these very living visitors that will be needed to decode this spectral enigma. Can the Home afford to put the public at risk? Is this the only way to solve the mystery? Can the home be rid of these lost souls before its coffers run dry? Are you willing to brave this den of spiritual turmoil?  Join us for this progressive play that requires your input to solve a mystery!  For reservations or additional information, please call (317) 631-1888.  More PBHH theatre information can be found at http://www.donnawing.com/companies/candlelight.htm.

PROVIDED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE ARTS COUNCIL OF INDIANAPOLIS, THE INDIANA ARTS COMMISSION, A STATE AGENCY, AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, A FEDERAL AGENCY; THE WING ARTS AND HUMANITIES FUND; KAREN AND TOM FERRARA; RYAN WING.  THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS!

Date:  Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Time:  10:00am to 3:00pm (Tours on the hour and half-hour.)

Cost:  $7.00 adults  $4.00 children (ages 5 to 17)

Description:  Visit the President Benjamin Harrison Home and listen to the conversations and gossip of the day as you enter each room and meet and speak with family members and household staff, whose roles are recreated by exceptional actors. The year is 1888, and the past comes alive with accurate portrayals of Harrison and his household staff!  As visitors tour the three-story 1875 Italianate Victorian home, they may meet old friends of the Harrison family–Josie, the family seamstress; Delia, the cook; Charles, the butler; and Benjamin Harrison, the 23^rd President of the United States.

Date: Thursday, November 8, 2007

Time:  2:00pm to 4:00pm

Cost:  FREE (donations welcome)

Description:  In the fall of 1892, twelve-year-old Helen Keller had lots of reasons not to write to First Lady Caroline Harrison. She and her teacher Annie Sullivan had escaped back home to Tuscumbia, Alabama, in early summer after a humiliating and exhausting spring in which Helen had been placed on "trial" for plagiarism, then exonerated, at Perkins School for the Blind.  At that time, Helen was a pre-teen who presumably much preferred playing with her new pony cart.  Yet, Keller wrote and extended her best wishes to the ailing First Lady in a wonderful letter on permanent display at the PBHH museum. For the rest of her life, Keller similarly and generously served others. She did so in her personal correspondence, in her political lobbying and advocacy work, as she traveled extensively across the globe, and as she voiced opinions–sometimes sharply–about racial inequality, war, poverty, dogs, the need to serve others, and simple human kindness.

As part of the 2007 Spirit & Place Civic Festival, Dr. Kim E. Nielsen, Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, will present a lecture highlighting Helen Keller's generous life of service and purpose, followed by a question and answer session.  The original letter to First Lady Caroline Harrison from Helen Keller will be on display alongside other featured items in a Helen Keller exhibition of letters and photos, titled "Helen Keller: Touching the World.".  Dr. Nielsen will also host a book-signing following the lecture.  Please call (317) 631-1888 for program details.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE INDIANA HUMANITIES COUNCIL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES!  SPECIAL THANKS TO THE INDIANA SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED and FULL BLOWN PRODUCTIONS.

Our Spirit & Place partner program is the play "84 Charing Cross Road" offered by Oaklandon Civic Theatre.  Click on the link for more details!

Note: A duplicate lecture will take place at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired at 7725 N. College Ave. at 9am on Nov. 8.  This lecture is free and open to the public; seating available in the balcony.

Date:  Sunday, November 18, 2007

Locations:  The Fashion Mall at Keystone, Greenwood Park Mall

Time:  6:00pm to 9:00pm

Cost:  $10.00 per person

Description:  Simon malls creates this occasion to help non-profit organizations like the President Benjamin Harrison Home and the Simon Youth Foundation.  In fact, $7 of every ticket sold by PBHH comes back to us to help with operations and special initiatives.  $3 of every ticket sold goes to the Simon Youth Foundation.  What's different about this night at the mall?  It is a special evening of private shopping specifically for supporters of local charities and will feature door prizes, special entertainment (i.e. Santa!), food sampling, and retailer discounts (call for specifics!) up to 15-30% off your purchase.  The general public will be unable to enter the malls without a ticket purchased from a charitable organization like ours.  Call the museum at (317) 631-1888 for more details or to purchase tickets...ask for Erin!  Tickets are valid at both the Greenwood Park Mall and The Fashion Mall.  Happy shopping!  

Date:  Saturday, December 15, 2007

Time:  10:00am to 3:00pm (Tours on the hour and half-hour.)

Cost:  $7.00 adults  $4.00 children (ages 5 to 17)

Description:  Bring the family for a unique Christmas tour of the President Benjamin Harrison Home.  The year is 1888.  President Harrison, some of the family from Ohio and the household staff will be "home for the holidays" talking about the excitement of Christmas Day and personally offering their good wishes to you and yours for the holidays.

Date:  Friday, December 28, 2007

Time:  5:30pm to 9:30pm

Cost:  $75.00 per person  $70.00 members

Description:  The President Benjamin Harrison Home is hosting its 8^th annual "A Candlelight Evening on Delaware Street" fundraising event.  It is an evening of historic house tours and elegant dining.  Guests will begin their tour at the historic Harrison Home, enjoy a verbal history and tour of the McKee-Peek home, stroll two blocks north to an exquisite dinner at the Indianapolis Propylaeum Club, and top the evening with an unforgettable dessert at the Harrison Center for the Arts, provided by the Yellow Rose Inn.  Make plans now for an elegant pre-New Year's evening without the crowds.  Please call the President Benjamin Harrison Home at (317) 631-1888 for details and reservations.

Date:  RESERVE A FRIDAY OR SATURDAY EVENING!

Time:  6:30pm to 9:30pm

Cost:*  $1,000 to sponsor a dinner OR $100 per couple for approximately 10 couples

*Includes a 1-year Elector (single+1) membership to the museum!

Description:  Are you involved in a civic club, social club, book club, neighborhood group?  Do you have a group of clients to entertain?  Looking for something to enrich your typical dining experience downtown?  The Harrison Home is offering Civil War Dinners!  This is the perfect opportunity for approximately 20 people (per evening) to engage in an unforgettable dinner conversation as interactive guests of "General Benjamin Harrison" and his "Aide-de-Camp."  The evening traditionally begins in our Carriage House for hors d'oeuvres and wine, then the group enters the home from the front door, takes a brief tour of the first floor as a group and then assembles in the historic Library, where the group is greeted by "General Harrison," who invites them to dinner downstairs.  Charge your glass and enjoy an insightful evening of Civil War discussion with General Harrison and his Aid.  The cost is $1,000 to book a dinner, which includes all expenses as well as a one-year membership for all guests/couples who participate. Civil War Dinners are BY REQUEST!  Call us if you are interested or if you have any questions.  The "General" looks forward to dining with you!