Erected in 1759 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Eyre Hall is still occupied by descendants of Littleton Eyre, the original owner. The generations have acquired and preserved such items as furniture, silver, even sheet music, with continuity rivaled by only a handful of other Virginia properties. On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Shore History will host “Inside & Out,” a symposium on location to showcase these treasures.
Springboarding off the publication of “The Material World of Eyre Hall: Four Centuries of Chesapeake History,” the editor and six other contributors to the book will speak to their areas of expertise. The event, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., also will include a tour of the house and garden, book signings, and a box lunch. Tickets are $175 each and available at www.shorehistory.org or by calling 757-787-8012. Registrants will receive a promo code by email entitling them to purchase the book from www.shop.mdhistory.org for $50, down from the $89.95 cover price.
J. Thomas Savage, Eastern Shore native and recently appointed Colonial Williamsburg director of educational travel and conferences, will serve as master of ceremonies. Savage previously held positions at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, the former home of Henry Francis du Pont. Architectural historian and speaker Carl Lounsbury edited the book, assembling a who’s who of material culture as contributors.
The Eyre Hall story took four years and 450 pages to tell. In addition to Savage and Lounsbury, five other contributors to the book will lend their talents to the symposium. “What an incredible event!” said Daniel Ackermann, chief curator and director of research, collections, and archaeology at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, N.C. “It’s not often you get all of these bright minds in one place.” Furniture expert Sumpter Priddy is known for his innovative approach to the study of culture and artifacts. A former curator for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, he is actively engaged in researching early American artisans and their products, particularly those of the early South. Angelika Kuettner, associate curator of ceramics and glass for Colonial Williamsburg, will address the role the pieces play in understanding a society’s “social customs, fashion trends, and relative differences in economic and social status.” Mark Letzer, president and chief executive officer of the Maryland Center for History and Culture, will speak to the legacy of silver associated with Eyre Hall. He begins his chapter in “The Material World” with a quote from the will of Bridget Boxcroft, who bequeathed “my beloved kinsman Severn Eyre” a number of pieces including “the silver punch bowl,” not only the oldest and most significant piece in Eyre Hall’s collection but also one of the most important to survive from Colonial Virginia. Will Rieley, who taught at the University of Virginia for 20 years and participates in the Historic Landscape Institute, will tell the story of Eyre Hall’s grounds, garden, and orangery in the context of Colonial America. Lastly, George McDaniel, who owns a consulting firm after a 45-year career in museums and historical organizations, will moderate a panel about those who called Eyre Hall home. “This book and this symposium are more than a conventional decorative arts/antiques endeavor,” said McDaniel. “The book is one of the first of its kind, if not the first.”
Eyre Hall is located at 3215 Eyre Hall Drive in Cheriton, Va.

Shore History, located in Onancock, Va., and founded in 1957 as the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society, is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to collect, preserve, and share Eastern Shore history and culture through collections, archives, exhibits, and programming. Shore History owns and actively maintains Ker Place and Hopkins & Bro. Store, both on the National Register of Historic Places. It also serves as the caretaker of Wise Family Cemetery.
To learn more about the organization, visit www.shorehistory.org.