Drumthwacket Decked Out for the Holidays

for Patron magazine, December 1996
by Maria LoBiondo

Yankee in location but Southern in grandeur, Princeton’s Drumthwacket looks like Gone With the Wind’s Tara come north. But instead of Scarlet O’Hara standing on the pillar-lined portico, expect to find New Jersey’s governor. As the state’s executive mansion, Drumthwacket is a residence if desired but more often the place New Jersey governors extend the state’s hospitality to a myriad of guests.

Open houses at the mansion are a holiday tradition, but this year also will mark the beginning of a new feature - the opening of the Drumthwacket gift shop. The property’s original farmhouse, and the birthplace of Drumthwacket’s builder, will be the site.

The Olden House, the original homestead where Drumthwacket builder Charles Smith Olden was born, dates to circa 1760. It was from the Olden House porch that Gen. George Washington is said to have reviewed a column of Colonial troops marching to the Battle of Trenton on Dec. 26, 1776.

In the 1800s, the addition of a kitchen with a large open fireplace was made. It is here that the gift shop will be housed, with an array of souvenirs including tote bags, tea towels, brass bookmarks, and a series of collectible Christmas ornaments. To honor Charles, whose credits include serving as New Jersey’s governor during the Civil War, and to highlight the restoration of the homestead, this year’s Christmas ornament will feature the Olden House.

Although Drumthwacket has a Celtic name (”wooded hill”), its inspiration did in fact come from the South. Charles Smith Olden built the core of the Greek Revival mansion, the central portion with its six colossal Ionic columns, in 1835 after nine years of making his fortune in New Orleans.

Moses Taylor Pyne purchased the estate from Charles Olden’s widow in 1893 and proceeded to add the two wings which flank the original building. His extensive renovations included the park-like landscaping and a multi-level formal Italianate gardens to the rear of the mansion. As for the original homestead, Pyne left it standing, but used it as an aviary and to house monkeys.

While Drumthwacket is a treat to visit any time of year, at Christmas it offers the added delight of decorations provided by Garden Clubs throughout the state. Given its Southern feeling and its Colonial history, the choice of Williamsburg-style decorations for this year’s open house seem especially appropriate.

Williamsburg decorations typically include fruits and nuts mixed with the greens. This theme will start at the front door, where the Contemporary Garden Club of Princeton will donate a wreath using real fruit.

Pineapples, a Colonial symbol of welcome, were a favorite focal point, but apples, lemons and oranges were freely used, as were pomegranates and berries. Magnolia leaves and boxwood were used as well as fir branches. Many of these touches will be employed throughout the open rooms of the mansion.

Highlights of a Drumthwacket tour usually include the dining room, with its 29 panels of pale green hand-painted chinoiserie on the walls. Part of the ornate silver service of the U.S.S. Battleship New Jersey, made by Tiffany & Co. in 1906, will be on view on the table.

For lovers of American antiques, Drumthwacket offers several to feast eyes upon. The entrance hall is graced by a 1765 Chippendale mirror and a 1730 Queen Anne dressing table made in the Delaware Valley. The parlor features a circa 1797 tallcase clock by Matthew Edgerton.

But perhaps one of the most stunning pieces of furniture is contemporary. Unable to find an appropriate table for the music room, the Drumthwacket Foundation, which has undertaken the care and restoration of the mansion, commissioned New Jersey craftsman Mark Reed of Bordentown to create a table using New Jersey woods. The pie-shaped strips include walnut, maple and osage orange.

When renovating Drumthwacket, Moses Taylor Pyne added the imported Gothic wood-paneled library with its massive carved stone fireplace, a room which evokes many oohs and aahs. In an oval-shaped study off the library, a partners’ desk is backed by an alcove of windows.

The State of New Jersey purchased the estate in 1966, but it was not until 1981 that Drumthwacket became New Jersey’s executive mansion. Since that time it has been extensively renovated and been the site of numerous state affairs and charitable events. Current Gov. Christine Todd Whitman uses the mansion as a part-time residence and for official functions. Former Gov. Jim Florio made Drumthwacket his primary residence during his term, but his predecessor, Gov. Thomas Kean, used the mansion for state functions only.

Drumthwacket has hosted its fair share of celebrities, including actors Arnold Schwarznegger and Brooke Shields, royals such as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the king and queen of Sweden, and political stars such as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

For those unable to visit Drumthwacket during the holidays, other opportunities are possible. The mansion is open to visitors most Wednesdays throughout the year.

Additionally, Drumthwacket will be one of three governor’s mansions featured in “American Castles,” a program produced by the Arts and Entertainment channel in Spring 1997. The program is normally broadcast locally in Princeton 5 p.m. Saturdays and 10 p.m. Sundays.

Drumthwacket is located at 354 Stockton Street in Princeton. The mansion will be open to view 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec.18, and noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. There is no charge for admission but donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, call (609) 683-0057.