Calendar of Events

All Virtual Events are recorded and posted to the Museum’s YouTube page.

Most of our virtual programs are offered free of charge.
Consider making a donation to support future programming – and help us SAVE the Merchant’s House!
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NOVEMBER

Sunday, November 17, 1:30 p.m.
Walking Tour: The Tredwells’ World of 19th Century Noho
With the 1825 opening of the Erie Canal, the city’s economy boomed and wealthy merchant families escaped the increasing noise, congestion, and commercialization of the seaport area to move “uptown,” to what is now modern day NoHo, then an exclusive residential enclave. Join us as we explore the Tredwells’ elite neighborhood and discover what life was like for the wealthy merchant class in the mid-19th century. $20; MHM Members Free. Purchase walking tour tickets.

Walking tours are 90 minutes and meet outside the Merchant’s House.

 

Friday, November 22, 6:30 p.m.
In the Spirit of Science: Is there a “Seance Brain”?
Virtual Program
Are seances just a bunch of random spooky stuff, all that sitting around a table in the dark, or are they potentially something more? And if they do facilitate communication with the dead, how do they do that?

We’ll discuss why seances are conducted the way they are, the varying rituals involved – and how they affect participants, both neurologically (the brain) and psychologically (the mind and feelings). Free (suggested donation $10); register for “In the Spirit of Science.”

In the Spirit of Science is a video podcast on topics related to ongoing paranormal research at the Merchant’s House. Using the scientific method, with unbiased observation and systematic experimentation, this research is building a better understanding of the strange and fascinating phenomena experienced by staff, volunteers, and visitors at “Manhattan’s Most Haunted House” (The New York Times).

The research project and monthly virtual programs are led by neuroscientist Dr. Lee, thanatologist and MHM volunteer Matilda Garrido, and Dan Sturges, founder of Sturges Paranormal, who appears on the Travel Channel’s weekly series, Paranormal Caught on Camera.

 

Tuesday, November 26 – Sunday, December 29
Celebrating our 12th holiday season!
A Christmas Carol at the Merchant’s House: Charles Dickens in New York, 1867
In December 1867, Charles Dickens arrived in New York City for a month of sold-out performances of his beloved holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. As the New York Herald exclaimed, “The Christmas Carol becomes doubly enchanting when one hears it performed by Dickens.”

Join Mr. Dickens, portrayed by John Kevin Jones, as he tells his timeless Christmas tale in the elegant intact Greek Revival double parlor of the landmark 1832 Merchant’s House Museum.

Surrounded by 19th century holiday decorations, flickering candles, and richly appointed period furnishings, audiences will be transported back 150 years in this captivating performance created from Dickens’ own script. Tickets & Information.

DECEMBER

Saturday, December 7, 1:30 p.m.
Neighborhood Walking Tour: 19th-Century Women of Noho
Created and led by MHM docent Michelle Barshay
Step into the vibrant world of 19th century NoHo, then known as the “Bond Street Area,” where women from all walks of life made their mark on history. On a captivating 90-minute walking tour through this historic neighborhood, we’ll uncover the fascinating stories of the diverse women who helped shape its character.

Our tour will showcase the rich tapestry of female experiences that once graced these iconic streets: resilient servants, savvy boarding house managers, visionary artists, pioneering publishers, bustling shopkeepers, and society women seeking education. Along the way, we’ll see some important buildings of the period, including the first lending library and the first animal hospital, both founded by visionary women. $20; MHM Members Free. Purchase walking tour tickets.

Walking tours are 90 minutes and meet outside the Merchant’s House.

Current Exhibitions

Exhibitions are included with regular museum admission.

Holiday Exhibition Opens Friday, November 29
A Jolly Holiday: Christmas Traditions from New Amsterdam
While filling their home with holiday cheer, the Tredwells were unlikely to be thinking about where these traditions came from. But in fact, many parts of their Christmas celebration were holdovers from New York’s Dutch founding. To “ring-in” the 400th anniversary of the Dutch founding of New Amsterdam, we are highlighting some Dutch traditions that persisted into the 19th century, many of which are familiar to us today.

Santa Claus, Christmas cookies, and New Year’s Day calling were important and familiar parts of the holiday season for the Tredwell family. These traditions, and more, got their start in colonial New Amsterdam. By the time the Tredwells were celebrating Christmas, almost 200 years later, the traditions had changed and been transformed by the many other communities here in New York City.

On display, holiday gifts from the Tredwell collection, and holiday decorations throughout the house.

 

VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS | ONLINE OFFERINGS