Holiday Events Offer Familiar and New Experiences at Boal Mansion Museum

After last year’s cancelations, holiday events are back in full swing at the Columbus Chapel & Boal Mansion Museum this season. With a Christmas tea, tours and Kristkindl market, staff and board members are ready to welcome the community back for both familiar and new experiences. 

There’s “always something newly discovered at the museum,” director Robert Cameron says. New and returning visitors will now find, on exhibit for the first time, Boal family fashions from Paris, London and New York, dating back to the late 1890s. The property’s armory has also doubled in size with its new additions. Those who attend the Christmas tea and tour on Sunday, Dec. 5, will be able to see the property’s new, second-floor exhibits as well, including architectural drawings of recognizable sites such as Penn State University’s Old Main.

Holiday events for this year include a Christmas candlelight tour on Friday, Dec. 3; a Kristkindl market in the Boal Barn on Saturday, Dec. 4 (as opposed to the event’s typical setting in the theater and dressing rooms); and the Sunday Christmas tea and tour on Sunday, Dec. 5. While the candlelight tour on Friday is currently sold out, tickets are still available for the Sunday Christmas tea and tour. 

During the event, Cameron explains, “guests are greeted by live music on the Steinway, then [enjoy] an incredible repast of a gourmet soup, three different savories, three special desserts, scones and Her Majesty’s tea, coffee or wassail. After the tea, guests are treated to a special tour.” Cameron notes the tea and tour are not suitable for very young children. 

While attending any of this weekend’s events, guests at the museum will also enjoy seeing the festive decor, both indoors and out. 

Donations and sales at events such as these help keep the Columbus Chapel & Boal Mansion in operation. According to Cameron, the museum lost nearly 98% of its seasonal income for two years running because of pandemic-related closures, making attendance for this year’s festivities all the more vital for a valued community landmark. 

“In addition to the three miles of trails and gardens the museum provides to the public, the extensive historic collections have few, if any, parallel in the United States,” Cameron says, describing the museum’s importance to the community. “In 2019, more than 10,000 guests visited the estate from 26 countries and 48 states. International guests often travel to the United States specifically to make a pilgrimage to the Columbus Chapel to see the contents.”

Cynthia Shaler, the executive board president and communications chair at the mansion adds, “The museum is part of the thriving Boalsburg community, of Centre County and of the country’s and world’s museums in general.It’s important for visitors to support the museum to protect the 300-plus fine works of art, the antique furniture and artifacts collected by the Boal family over 200 years; the beautiful gardens and trails; the antique bank barn, still used as a theater after 65 years; and the religious and secular artifacts inherited from the Columbus family. A visit here is a historical and educational experience that should never be allowed to fade away.”

Still, as a precaution, attendance at the Christmas tea has been limited, and the number of vendors at the Kristkindl market has been reduced, in order to allow for greater social distancing. All of the museum docents are vaccinated and masking is recommended indoors.

Can’t make this weekend’s holiday events? Individual and group tours can be scheduled in advance, by contacting the Columbus Chapel & Boal Mansion at 814-876-0129 or [email protected]. You can also visit www.boalmuseum.com for more information on this weekend’s events, as well as to purchase tickets for Sunday’s Christmas tea and tour.