Three days before Christmas in 1881, a young bride had help fastening the back of her silk wedding gown covered in elaborate Irish lace. The wedding was held at Holly House, her parents’ mansion.
The scene is not one from the popular PBS show “Downton Abbey” about the lords and ladies of England. The young bride was Miriam Melissa Lutcher, who may be considered one of the leading ladies in Orange’s history.
The wedding gown is now part of a new exhibit at the W.H. Stark House, the 14,000 square foot house Miriam and her groom, William H. Stark, built in 1894. The Stark House, which has been restored with the family’s furnishings and possession, has been open for public tours since 1981.
The exhibit, “To Have and to Hold,” is in the third-floor turret room and offers visitors a look at Victorian-era customs. The exhibit includes some hand-written love letters Miriam and William exchanged during their courtship. At the time of their wedding, William was 30 and Miriam, who had moved to Orange with her parents four years earlier, was 22.
The marriage lasted for almost 55 years. The two died a month apart in the bedroom they shared in the Stark House where the lived for 42 years.
Their wedding was held in the mansion of the bride’s parents, H.J. and Frances Ann Lutcher, because the churches in town were small. The display also has the couple’s marriage license and some of the furniture from the Lutcher house.
When the Starks celebrated their 25th anniversary, some guests gifted them with heavy silver items. The Starks presented their guests with silver gifts, too.
Their son, H.J. Lutcher Stark, gave them a 50th anniversary party at Sunset Grove Country Club, which he built. The exhibit includes the guest registry used at the event. Invitations were sent to 350 people from across the country.
The special exhibit will be open as part of the regular Stark House tour until March 5. Visitors will get to step into Mrs. Stark’s immense closet with a few drawers open to display her costume jewelry accessories and some of the 121 purses she had in the house.
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