Jockeying for Position: Horseracing among the Early Washington Elite

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The elite of early Washington talked politics at the Jockey Club and horses in the U.S. Senate Chamber. The most famous horses in American history, like Secretariat and Man o’ War, are tied to some of the most famous men in American history.  Join Tudor Place Curator Rob DeHart and Dr. Lindsey Apple, historian and member of the Advisory Board of Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate in this dynamic discussion about the early DC horse racing industry and correspondence between Tudor Place’s Thomas Peter and Secretary of State Henry Clay of Kentucky about the sale of a prized racehorse.  Learn how Henry Clay, Thomas Peter and their contemporaries like Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren jockeyed for position — mixing politics, business and pleasure.

Photo collage: Ephemera, Tudor Place Archive; The Farmer of Ashland engraving of Henry Clay, Henry Clay Memorial Foundation.

Click to watch video.

Tudor Place Weddings & Rentals featured in Watercolor Dream: I Do Y’all Magazine

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Tudor Place was fabulously captured by photographer Rebecca Sigety and crew in this spring photo shoot that graced the spring issue of I Do Y’all magazine.  Click here for gorgeous photos.

Photo credit: Rebecca Sigety Photography Planning: Lissa Marie Weddings and Events Bridal by Sarah Khan Artistry Ava Laurenne Bride Lovestruck + Golden Cakebee The Welcoming District The Garden Studio, LLC wjmpaperfloraldesigns Savage Craft & Letter The Sip Social Something Vintage Rentals

Press Release: Tudor Place Announces Travelers’ Choice Award by Tripadvisor

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Press Release 

May 18, 2021

Washington, DC – Tudor Place Historic House & Garden announces it has been recognized as a 2020 Travelers’ Choice award winner by TripAdvisor. Based on a full year of TripAdvisor reviews prior to any changes caused by the pandemic, award winners are known for consistency receiving great traveler feedback, placing them in the top 10% of hospitality business around the globe.

Read the full press release here.

 

 

 

Beautifying Every Corner: The Georgetown Garden Club

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The Georgetown Garden Club helped rehabilitate the Box Knot at Tudor Place.

At the 2021 Garden Party on September 22,* Tudor Place will honor the Georgetown Garden Club for nearly a century of service to the community and decades of support for garden projects at Tudor Place. The relationship between the two organizations runs deep, going back to the earliest days of the Garden Club.

Click here to read the full article from the Tudor Place Times. 

 

* The 29th Annual Garden Party will be held September 22, 2021 and honor the Georgetown Garden Club. Additional gala details can be found here. The 28th Annual Spring Garden Party on May 20, 2020 was canceled.

Craft: Cicada Origami

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green paper cicada

Cicada origami found in the Tudor Place garden. Photo credit: Tudor Place Historic House & Garden.

This month, Washington, DC is experiencing the emergence of a group of cicadas called Brood X. You can learn more about cicadas and Brood X by checking out the Education at Home Activity on using Cicada Safari to map the cicadas you see.

If you visit Tudor Place in May, you will see cicadas in the garden. Don’t be worried! They might be loud, but cicadas don’t bite or sting humans.

They also are not hurting the plants. Cicadas don’t eat leaves or flowers. Instead, they drink the sap from tree roots and make tiny cuts in branches where they lay their eggs. Young trees might be harmed if too many cicadas try to lay eggs in them, so the Tudor Place garden staff have wrapped up small trees in bug netting to keep them safe.

Tudor Place is working hard to keep the cicadas out of the historic house, but here is one cicada you can take home. Watch the video below to create your own origami cicada.

This activity is the second of two in a cicada activity series.

Find more Education at Home posts

Activity: Cicada Safari

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adult cicada and empty shell on tree branch

Adult cicada and empty shell. Photo credit: Gene Kritsky, Mount St. Joseph University.

During May 2021, something exciting (and noisy) is going to happen. A group of cicadas called Brood X is going to emerge. These cicadas have been underground for 17 years!

Baby cicadas are called nymphs. When the nymphs hatched, they crawled underground. They spent the last 17 years digging tunnels and eating tree roots.

Now these nymphs are coming out of the ground to shed their exoskeletons and develop wings and hard, adult skins. As adults, these cicadas will mate and lay more eggs and the whole cycle begins again.

The cicadas that emerge during the same year are called broods. Brood X was first seen in 1715 in Philadelphia – before Tudor Place was even built.

Scientists study these cicadas to map where the broods emerge and to understand more about their life cycles. One way to help scientists learn about cicadas is by using the Cicada Safari app.

When you see a cicada (or many cicadas!) take a picture of it and mark its location on the map. You can also find out where other people in your neighborhood, state or region have seen cicadas.

Check out the video below for a walk-through of the app.

Now you’re all set to record your cicada observations! Check out past Education at Home posts to learn more about what makes a good observer and to create garden crafts.

This activity is the first of two in a cicada series.

Find more Education at Home posts