A Bloomin' Success!



What a weekend! The 47th Annual Old Newbury Garden Tour last weekend brought together beautiful gardens, generous hosts, hardworking volunteers, community partners, sponsors and supporters, and hundreds of visitors for two memorable days celebrating the creativity and ingenuity of local gardeners.

More to come, but for now, here are a few of the images shared with us by Amanda Ambrose Photography. Enjoy!

And...You're Up!

Share your garden with the community in 2027!

A Note of Gratitude

The Old Newbury Garden Tour is a labor of love for literally hundreds of people. There are too many people to thank here, but let's begin with the garden owners. What a kind, generous group you are! Without you, there is no garden tour. The Museum of Old Newbury staff, interns, docents, board and committee members, volunteers, garden sitters, sponsors, neighbors, photographers, artists, and even one tiny photogenic piglet all did their very best work.   

Herbie rode along to check on a couple of gardens on Sunday. He was very impressed.

Shelley Swofford, MOON Operations Manager managed the joyful chaos at the Cushing Garden, with the able assistance of our hard-working intern team of Freddy, Eliza, Heidi, Tess, and Ryan. Long Hill Orchard offered sweet treats and good cheer, and Collections Manager Ashley Adams Serveiss held down the fort in the house while volunteer archivist Sharon Spieldenner took excellent care of the Perkins Art & Research Center.

Lowell's Boat Shop offered a riverside picnic stop and tour on the way to the other Amesbury gardens. We love you, Lowell's! Thank you for always opening your doors for the benefit of our community.

Amanda Ambrose Photography, Kathie O'Neil, Anne Bryant, you make us look so good! Verne Fisher from Visionary Landscapes was a sponsor, and then spent BOTH days making sure everyone who visited had a cold drink and a warm welcome.

Verne Fisher, sponsor of the tour and friend of the MOON, welcomed visitors to Hanover Street with a smile and a spatula!

The volunteers who have been working so hard on the MOON garden and then helped to raise even more to support our museum through our plant sale are an inspiration.

Docent Cynthia Laffie and friends Martha Bower, Phyllis Orem, and Jane Batchelder offered a stunning display for our dining room (so gorgeous we made it our puzzle below), and coordinated with Pettengill Farm for beautiful arrangements for the front door.

Our board member and High Street neighbor Lois Valeo heard our pleas for a more pleasant Cushing House washroom experience and sprang into action, selecting and installing elegant new wallpaper and textiles and ensuring the glow-up would be ready before the tour. Lois, that effort meant a great deal to us.

Bentley's Real Estate and Harborside Printing Company, along with New England Home, you have been our partners in this event for years, and we appreciate you so much. J.McLaughlin, your enthusiastic and beautiful pop-up party for our benefit was deeply appreciated. Essex Street Inn, you are always there for us. The Governor's Academy has been a staunch supporter, and Barb Cullen, from hanging coats to supporting our events, you are deeply appreciated. Mike Galatis and Fairway Home Mortgage, along with the Law Office of Judy A. Field, PC, we can always count on you. Ryan Kelley and Splitrock Moving and Logistics, Alicia Emery Zampitella of Zampitella Creative, Northeast Digital Imaging, and Integrated Financial Partners have become part of our family too.

But really, it's all of you - our whole community - who deserves our deep thanks. You turn out, smiling and curious, ready to embrace the wonder, every time. Thank you for your support and encouragement. 

Upcoming Events

Please join us for the 9th annual community reading of Frederick Douglass's powerful speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July."

10 a.m., Sunday, July 5, 2026 at Brown Square, Newburyport

(across from City Hall). 

Rain location at First Religious Society, UU (26 Pleasant St.)

More info here: WLGarrison.com. 

Funded in part by a grant from Mass Humanities.  

House of the Angel Guardian Part II:: “I told them my name was John Erickson…”

by Bethany Groff Dorau

Something New: From here on out, we're hosting full-length versions of these articles in a new section of the website called "Further Reading". The button below leads there.

When last we left my grandfather, John Muzrall, he had run away from a violent farmer and made his way back to Boston, where he was caught sleeping behind a furnace because his long legs were sticking out. ...I’ll let him take it from here. He was 12 years old.  

"I was at the South Station. I slept overnight in the station, and the next day, I took a bus that was going to New York City...I already knew I was going to pretend to be a Swede..."

Something Is Always Cooking...

Pinky-up Cucumber Party Sandwiches

Note: This time of year, I get quite a few requests for this recipe. It's so simple, but also always evolving - I now lean toward mint over dill, though for some this is heresy. Some folks swear by butter rather than cream cheese, or some mixture.

This pairs perfectly with a gin and tonic with a slice of lemon. If you are not a fan of cucumbers (I see you, Rebecca), this works with tomatoes as well. -Bethany Groff Dorau.

To reduce sogginess, spread the cream-cheese mixture on both slices of bread. Salt the sliced cucumbers and let them sit on a paper towel for a half hour or so before assembling.

Ingredients

24 slices thin white bread

2 English cucumbers

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2-4 tablespoons fresh dill, minced (use full amount if not using mint)

2-4 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped, to taste

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

Instructions

Mix softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill and/or mint, garlic powder, and ¼ tsp. salt. Mix well. Peel and cut the cucumbers into thin slices with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with remaining salt and spread on a paper towel. Remove the crust from the bread.

Spread the cream cheese mixture onto both slices of bread. Add cucumbers, sprinkle with black pepper, and add herbs. Cut the bread into triangles (my favorite), squares, or strips and refrigerate until serving. This makes 48 small sandwiches, so plenty for a crowd. .

Enjoy!

Puzzle Me This...

Click the image to do the puzzle

This peony arrangement was an additional bit of beauty from Cynthia Laffie and friends Martha Bower, Phyllis Orem, and Jane Batchelder.

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