Lincoln County Historical Association’s Chapman-Hall House Stewardship Committee plans to offer an opportunity to observe fashion styles for women and men from 1750 to the late 1820s.

“Dressing for Tea with Mrs. Chapman,” a Zoom program, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5. The program will provide historical insights to taking tea along with details about evolving fashions of the day, according to a news release from the society.

By around 1840, when England’s 7th Duchess of Bedford elevated it to a more formal afternoon tea time, stopping for tea with friends or family had already become a well-established tradition. In 1754, Miriam Chapman, with her husband Nathaniel, braved the wilds of unsettled midcoast Maine to establish a new home. Miriam was 47 years old, but the Damariscotta settlement was much younger.

Despite the lack of a bustling town in her new surroundings, chances are Miriam found a friend with whom to take tea and discuss the fashion of the day, the society notes.

Registrants for the online event will receive recipes for traditional tea fare, a list of tea varieties popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and a list of foods suitable for any early American tea — all delivered by email.

“Dressing for Tea with Mrs. Chapman” is a benefit for the Chapman-Hall House Historic Site in Damariscotta. Registration costs $15.

The Chapman-Hall House is one of three historic sites maintained by Lincoln County Historical Association, a nonprofit organization that provides stewardship for the 1754 Chapman-Hall House, the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, and the 1811 Old Jail and Museum in Wiscasset.

For registration and more information, visit lincolncountyhistory.com, email lchamaine1954@gmail.com or call 207 882-6817.

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