History professor emeritus Larry Kulisek will present “Life in Sandwich in 1798” as part of an anniversary party this weekend for Windsor’s oldest building, the Duff-Baby Mansion.
On July 8, 1798, the Duff-Baby Mansion opened its doors to become the home of Alexander Duff, a Loyalist fur trader from Aberdeen in Scotland.
Two hundred and twenty-five years later, the community will gather on the weekend of July 8 and 9 to celebrate the oldest building in Windsor with tours, games, and a series of public lectures illuminating the history of Sandwich Town.
History professor emeritus Larry Kulisek will present “Life in Sandwich in 1798” on Sunday, July 9. He is joined by Elder College instructor Frank Perissinotti, who will present “The Building of a Mansion in 1798.”
Volunteers from Les Amis Duff-Baby will lead tours of the house with demonstrations of lost arts and children’s games on the lawn outside from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. A brief procession at 11:30 a.m. will feature a bagpiper, a town crier, and remarks by city councillor Fabio Costante (BComm 2007, MBA 2008, JD 2013) and Les Amis Duff-Baby president Don Wilson. Face painting will be available from noon until 2 p.m., at which time the Riverfront Theatre Company will present The Founding of Sandwich.
On Sunday, tours will resume from noon until 4 p.m. The line-up of afternoon lectures is:
- Perissinotti, “The Building of a Mansion in 1798” at 1 p.m.
- Rick Duff, “Searching for your Scottish Family Roots” at 2 p.m.
- Dr. Kulisek, “Life in Sandwich, 1798” at 3 p.m.
Each lecture will be approximately 20 minutes long.
The Duff-Baby Mansion is located at 221 Mill St. All events for the 225th anniversary are free of charge. For more information, visit the Les Amis Duff-Baby Facebook page.