Date:  Thursday, February 14, 2008

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

Cost:  $130.00 per couple; $120 per member couple

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:

WTHR's ANGELA CAIN presents BOOTH TARKINGTON works

Author RALPH GRAY presents MEREDITH NICHOLSON readings

Resident Playwright JAMES TROFATTER as BENJAMIN HARRISON

Victorian Theatre Creative Director DONNA WING as CAROLINE HARRISON

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 18, 2008

PRESIDENT'S DAY!  NEW EXHIBIT OPENS!  RESTORATION WORK NEARLY COMPLETED!

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

Cost:  $9.00 adults  $4.00 students (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 meet members and friends of the Harrison family–Josie, the family seamstress; Delia, the cook; Charles, the butler; visiting relatives; and of course Benjamin Harrison, the 23^rd President of the United States.

Date:  Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Time:  10:00am to 1:00pm

Cost:  State House - free.  Museum Tour - please refer to daily tour prices.

Description:   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 creating their own Indiana State Seal, using Benjamin Harrison's life and ideals as inspiration.  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 4 at the Indiana State House.  If you are interested in attending the event at the State House, please contact Sarah at the Indiana Supreme Court at (317) 233-8682 due to limited seating.  If you are interested in a tour of the Harrison Home museum that day, please contact the education staff at (317) 631-2717. 

Date:  Thursday, April 3, 2008

Time:  11:00am to 1:00pm

Cost:  $10.00 per person

Description:   Reserve your spot!  Join us for lunch with "President Harrison" and enjoy a sampling of six different kinds of soups from Catered by Chef Mike of the Indianapolis Propylaeum Club.  Here's how it works:  1.  Call to reserve your spot!  2.  Enjoy a sampling of soups.  3.  Choose one of the fine soup and bread combinations for lunch.  4.  Conclude with a first-floor tour of the museum featuring numerous and recent renovations.  "President Harrison" will be in residence that day to greet you.  Bring a friend, and a couple of questions to ask the President!  The soup menu is below:

Pumpkin soup (vegetarian) with pralines, served with banana bread ~ Mulligatawney (chicken curry) soup, served with French bread ~ Wild mushroom soup, served with croutette ~ Southwest corn chowder, served with cheesy corn bread ~ Cold cucumber dill soup, served with rye bread ~ White chocolate soup, served with almond shortbread.

Admission includes first-floor tour, soup tasting, choice of one soup with bread, and drink.  Additional bowl of soup may be purchased for $3.50.

Dates:  Fridays and Saturdays, April 18, 19, 25, 26, May 2, 3 and Sunday, May 4, 2008

Time:  Curtain at 8:00pm; Sunday Matinee Curtain at 2:00pm

Cost:  $18.00 per person  $15.00 members, seniors, students  (Call for group rates!)

Featured Plays:  

"IN MEMORIAM" by Marlene Remingon

"SORRY, WRONG NUMBER" by Lucille Fletcher

"THE DOOR" by John Murray

ABUNDANT THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS:  WING ARTS AND HUMANITIES FUND ~ ARTS COUNCIL OF INDIANAPOLIS and THE CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS ~ INDIANA ARTS COMMISSION, A STATE AGENCY, and THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, A FEDERAL AGENCY ~ KAREN AND TOM FERRARA ~ RYAN WING (photographer) 

Description:  Three groups of people trapped in isolated areas; three mysteries that need to be solved; and three episodes mounting in terror.  This is what awaits theatregoers at Victorian Theatre by Candlelight's spring production of "Deceived, Doomed, and Departed."  Three one-act mysteries will be performed in three different rooms of the President Benjamin Harrison Home.  Small audiences will rotate through each of the three rooms, and will experience suspense and intrigue while sitting within the four walls of the stage.  Candlelight and other ambient lighting provide a unique atmosphere that draws the audience into the mystery; they are more than spectators.

A story of deception unfolds in the dining room in Marlene Remington's "In Memoriam."  This adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" has a surprise ending that even Ms. Christie would have found shocking.  Five people, each with a dark past, are invited to a party on a remote island in the St. Lawrence Seaway.  The guests soon find that they have been abandoned with no means of escape.  As their numbers start declining, they desperately try to deduce who among them is the murderer.

Doom abounds in the master bedroom in Lucille Fletcher's acclaimed "Sorry, Wrong Number."  An invalid woman isolated in her New York City apartment overhears a telephone conversation about a murder plot.  Evidently, the wires have crossed.  As she tries frantically to solicit help for the intended victim, she pieces together a chilling puzzle.

The departed awaits us in the back parlor in John Murray's "The Door."  On an isolated cliff on the Maine coast, a private duty nurse arrives at the home of her patient, a man injured in an accident.  She is not permitted to see her patient, who is kept behind a locked door by his wife.  Is she to become a prisoner in this desolate mansion?  And what lies behind the door?

Reservations are required and can be made by calling 317-631-1888 or e-mailing public_affairs@pbhh.org.  For more theatre information, please visit www.donnawing.com.  

Date:  Tuesday, May 6, 2008

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

Cost:  $9.00 adults  $4.00 students (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 meet members and friends of the Harrison family–Josie, the family seamstress; Delia, the cook; Charles, the butler; visiting relatives; and of course Benjamin Harrison, the 23^rd President of the United States.

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, Dewolf-Allerdice Bed and Breakfast, President Benjamin Harrison Home, Atherton House, and the Indianapolis Propylaeum Club.  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.

Date:  Saturday, June 14, 2008

Time:  8:30am to 2:00pm

Cost:  $100.00 per team of two (lunch and equipment included; reservations required)

*SIGN UP BEFORE APRIL 30 AND GET A FREE BISQUE (MULLIGAN) FOR THE TOURNAMENT!*

FOR A SLIDESHOW OF THE 2007 TOURNAMENT, CLICK HERE:

Description:  Watch out Colts!  There's a new game in town!  Join us for the 14^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 16,000 of Indiana's youth in 2007.  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.  The Pledge of Allegiance was written during Harrison's term in office; as well, Benjamin Harrison commissioned the flying of the flag over public buildings during his Presidency (1889-1893), and we hope you'll join us in celebrating Flag Day in conjunction with Croquet by bringing your tattered flags for proper disposal.  A special display of flags from 1889-1893, during which time Harrison added six states to the Union, will be available in the museum on Flag Day.

A special thanks to our Court Sponsors (to date):

Jane and Andrew Paine ~ The National Bank of Indianapolis ~ LDI, LTD.

Date:  Thursday, July 3, 2008

Time:  10:00am to 11:00am

Cost:  FREE

Description:  On July 3, 2008, 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:  Friday, July 4, 2008

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

Cost:  $10.00 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, music and memories.  Silly Safaris, Victorian puppet show (Punch and Judy), Caricaturist, Juggler, Magician, Thomas Jefferson re-enactor, Indianapolis Fire Dept. (with fire truck), 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, Victorian puppet show (Punch and Judy), Caricaturist, Juggler, Magician, Croquet, and other Victorian games.
• A team of Indianapolis Fire Department fire fighters providing tours of a fire truck and teaching about fire and fireworks safety. 
• Refreshments available for individuals’ purchase, including Traders Point Creamery ice cream, and hot dogs, chips and sodas. 
• Live music provided by the White River Jazz Band. 
• Patriotic items available in the Harrison Home gift shop. 

Date:  Wednesday, August 20, 2008

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

Tour Cost:  FREE today!

Description:  Happy 175th Birthday, Mr. President!  Enjoy a free tour and complimentary birthday cake to celebrate.  

Dates:  Fridays and Saturdays, October 17, 18, 24, 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26

Fri. and Sat. Performance Times: 6:00pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm, 7:30pm, 8:00pm, 8:30pm

Sun. Matinee Performance Times: 3:30pm, 4:00pm, 4:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:00pm

(Note: Each time is the start of a progressive play that lasts approximately 45-60 minutes.)

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

Description:  It is September 1868, and Jacob and Nancy Jane Young are joining Jacob's business associate for a picnic along the White River.  The day was like a dream; the sun shone brightly, a gentle wind caressed their faces, children played by the river.  But the dream soon turned into a nightmare.  Instead of building memories, the Youngs became memories.  Their violent deaths were made more dramatic by the identity of the fiendish mastermind behind their gruesome murders, Nancy Clem.  The well-spoken city attorney, Benjamin Harrison, was brought in to prosecute Clem, her brother and a third associate in what became a landmark case: the first woman tried for murder in the State of Indiana.  Witness the discrepancies between the testimonies at the trial and the events of that tragic day as they unfold within the rooms of the President Benjamin Harrison Home.  Come and judge the outcome for yourself!  More PBHH theatre information can be found at http://www.donnawing.com/companies/candlelight.htm.

Date:  Thursday, October 23, 2008

Time:  1:00pm to 5:00pm

Cost:  $50.00 per person

Description:  Join us for the 3rd annual Mary Tucker Jasper Speaking Series this fall featuring the life and original works of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  The museum is pleased to present guest speaker Donna Climenhage, curator at the Morse Museum.  Climenhage will discuss a recent Tiffany exhibit at the MET, the life of Louis Comfort Tiffany, as well as the original Tiffany pieces in the President Benjamin Harrison Home collection.  The event will include a lovely afternoon tea on the south lawn (tented), a book-signing, music, garden tours, museum tours, Tiffany exhibit, "President Harrison," and a charming gift for each attendee from Tiffany & Co.  On display in a special year-end exhibition will be the exquisite Tiffany items the museum collection as well as original Tiffany pieces from museum partners across the nation.

Date:  Tuesday, November 4, 2008

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

Cost:  $9.00 adults  $4.00 students (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 meet members and friends of the Harrison family–Josie, the family seamstress; Delia, the cook; Charles, the butler; visiting relatives; and of course Benjamin Harrison, the 23^rd President of the United States.

Date:  Sunday, November 16, 2008

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 13, 2008

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

Cost:  $9.00 adults  $4.00 students (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:  Monday, December 29, 2008

Time:  5:30pm to 9:30pm

Cost:  $75.00 per person  $70.00 members

Description:  The President Benjamin Harrison Home is hosting its 9^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 verbal histories and brief tours of several other architectural jewels along Delaware Street in the Old Northside.  An exquisite dinner will be served at the Indianapolis Propylaeum Club, and top the evening with an unforgettable dessert at 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:*  $1,250 to sponsor a dinner OR $125 per couple for approximately 10 couples

*Includes a 1-year Delegate (family/grandparent) 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 $1,250 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!