My Dream Weekend at The Stegmaier Mansion, Part One

Last weekend, I had a dream fulfilled.....

Something crossed off my Bucket List....

From the moment I first stepped foot in the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes Barre, Pa. several years ago, I knew that I wanted to stay overnight in this magnificent Gilded Mansion.

I have been to the Mansion many times for various occasions and had the honor of helping to decorate the Mansion for Christmas last year but to stay the weekend at the Mansion was always in the back of my mind.

As a little girl, I always dreamed of living in a Victorian mansion like the characters in books that I read and movies, like Pollyana and Mary Poppins, that I had watched......

This past weekend, my dream came true......

Even though the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion is 10-15 minutes from my home, for me, it was the weekend of my dreams......

We booked this weekend to celebrate our 33rd Anniversary and Joe's Birthday....

As we arrived at the Mansion on Friday and parked our car in the parking lot provided for guests of the Mansion, my excitement was beyond belief!!

As we were walking up to the Mansion, I still could not believe that we were actually going to be staying here for the weekend!!


As Joe opened the gate, I knew that we were going to be in for something that we would remember for the rest of our lives!


As you can see from these first pictures of the property, owner Joe Matteo has poured his heart and his soul into restoring this important piece of my area's history and returned the Stegmaier Mansion back to it's original grandeur.

For the history of the Mansion, which was owned by a member of Stegmaier family who owned the Stegmaier Brewing Company, please click HERE

The brewery was world famous because of it's Gold Medal and Lion's Head beer.
The Lion's Brewery is still in operation in Wilkes Barre.

This is why you will see Lion's Head's used through out the Mansion......

The magnificent porch was added to the mansion last year, restoring the mansion to the way it originally looked...

Beautiful lamp posts in the front yard......


As I take you through the Mansion, you will see that Joe Matteo's attention to detail is meticulous.

The front yard......

Exquisite Garden Art.....

Notice the Lion's Heads on the fountain in the side yard....


As you walk up the steps to the front porch, this is what greets you on each side column...



Here is my hubby, Joe , on the front porch....

The porch wraps around the one side of the Mansion....


You can see that the porch is decorated in true Victorian fashion...





The front of the porch with the Coat of Arms.....

Joe and I spent Saturday and Sunday morning sitting on this wonderful porch reading the paper and watching the sights.
It brought back memories of my childhood when I vacationed in Wildwood, N. J. with my parents and we used to stay at one of the old Victorian Hotels that had a huge wrap around front porch......

Just down the street is the Wilkes University Campus and this past weekend was Freshman Orietation.

Again, please look at the attention to detail ....




Looking toward the Front Doors of the Mansion....

Look at those light fixtures!!!



A beautifully tiled floor and a gorgeous rug....

The impressive front doors......

In the outside vestibule, Joe Matteo has displayed some of the honors bestowed upon him and the Mansion.....

The Greater Wilkes Barre Chamber of Commerce's 2011 Pride of Place Award, Category, Community.

This was in regards to the addition of the Front Porch....

The mansion featured in the local publication, Happenings.

A Photo of Joe Matteo with President Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, during their recent stay at the Mansion.

The key to the city.....

The Stegmaier Mansion was also featured in not one but two issues of Victorian Homes magazine!
Please click HERE to read those articles.

Here is my hubby, Joe, on the grand staircase .........

And Joe opening the door to the Amelia Suite, where we stayed.

Now these pics were taken the following morning. We had called Joe Matteo when we would be arriving as he requested and he met us at the front door and took us up to our suite.

This is what you see when you open the door to the Amelia Suite, which is named in honor of Amelia Stegmaier ,who was the lady of the house.

Yes, this is the bed that the Carter's slept in during their stay.

Joe and I can say that we slept in the same bed that a President and First Lady slept in!

How cool is that????

See the chocolates on the bed......

Joe Matteo provides full size Toiletries for his guests........

The other side of the suite......

The closet, complete with terry robes for two.....


And a fully stocked kitchenette!!!


Your dishes....


Coffee, Tea, Apple Cider, pop tarts, hot and cold cereals....

A Bar sink, toaster and a container of munchies!!!

A coffee pot so you can make a cup of coffee or tea whenever you want.....

I loved being able to do that!!!

A Microwave with a container of sugar and sweeter and your silverware on top....


A fully stocked refrigerator with milk, cream cheese and butter, chocolate milk, yogurt, juices , water and flavored creamers!!!!

The majestic fireplace!!


A table for two with a beautiful compote filled with fresh fruit.......


The one side of the bed with the TV out of the picture on the left side.....


The other side of the bed and the door way into the private sitting room....

The stunning dresser.....

The drop dead gorgeous stained glass windows in the sitting room.

I so enjoyed sitting in here in the afternoon with the sun illuminating the detailed design of these windows, glancing through my magazines with my feet up .........


The incredibly comfortable sofa and ottoman......

A writing desk.....

The cabinet that housed a TV hooked up to a DVD player. We watched "The King's Speech" in here on Saturday evening.....

And now the bathroom...

Look at this To Die For sink!!!




The shower.....

Breakfast was delivered to our door each morning......

We are early birds and I was amazed that when Joe opened the door at 6:15 am , our tray was there already!!

A hand written note that said "Good Morning"!!

Bagels and Danish!!

This was Saturday morning's breakfast. In a later post, I will showcase Sunday morning's breakfast, more pictures of our suite and of the entire mansion including the back grounds.

I took so many pictures that I could not do just one post!!

Now on Saturday the Mansion hosted a Royal Wedding Tea that we attended with some friends...

Here are some pictures that were taken the night before and the morning of the Royal Wedding Tea....

This was set up at the front door....

This is a copy of a letter from William and Katherine to their guests .......

The table that was set up for the Wedding Cake....

See the little wedding rings.....

In the Kitchen, all the dishes and tea cups are ready....


We learned that there is another Kitchen in the basement of the Mansion where Chef Jody Klocko creates his culinary masterpieces....

These pictures were taken of the rooms in the downstairs of the Mansion with tables set up for the Tea the evening before.....

The Ladies Parlor.....

This is the first time I have seen the pocket doors closed to the window alcove.
In Part Two, I will show you more pictures of this area with the doors open.....

This turned out to the the table where we were seated.....

This is the Chocolate creation that Chef Jody Klocko created as a special request for President Jimmy Carter during his stay at the Mansion.....

It remains on display on top of the Baby Grand Piano.....

This is looking into the Gentleman's Parlor from the foyer....


Seating set up in the Gentleman's Parlor....


In the Dining Room.......

What a magnificent setting.....

Will you look at that chandy and the stained glass window???????



Look at the ceiling.....


This was in the Library....

Over 50 guests were to attend the Royal Wedding Tea....

It was great just to walk downstairs to attend the Tea....

Here I am with my good friend, Lisa Lewis, aka Victoriana Lady, who is hostess for all Tea's at the Mansion..

Lisa is getting ready to greet guests.....

Victoriana Lady brought one of her authentic Wedding Dresses that is part of her extensive collection to display for the Tea.....




The marvelous Wedding Cake that was created by Chef Jody Klocko was placed on it's table of Honor....



Victoriana Lady greeting guests and informing them of their seating placement....


These were placed at each table setting...


The other side showed our menu for the Tea which was taken from the actual menu of the Royal Wedding Reception that was hosted by Queen Elizabeth.......


I took this picture after I got home because I forgot to take pictures of the table with these cute figures added to them....


Here is Joe and our friend, Sue , seated at our table.....


Owner Joe Matteo making his rounds, welcoming the guests to the mansion and explaining the menu.....

Victoriana Lady reading about the history of Royal weddings at Westminster Abby....


Our gracious host, Joe Matteo, owner of the Stegmaier Mansion....



I forgot to take a picture of the first course of the tea.

Here is the second course.....


Joe Matteo explaining each course as we were served.....


The third course....



Victoriana Lady showcasing some of her items from her collection that are part of various programs she presents.....

These were glove stretchers....


I love the look on Lisa's face as she explained that Victorian women wore shoes that were one size too small to make their feet look smaller.....

I think maybe the woman seated to the right was saying " OH No!"

LOL!!

Lisa is holding a pair of shoes from her collection.....

May I comment that Lisa made her hat when she was asked to portray Phoebe Snow as part of a presentation at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pa.
She had to create a pure white hat as she knew that she would never be able to find a pure white authentic hat from that Era.

Click HERE to visit Lisa Lewis's Blog, All Things Victorian.


A Bridal Fan....

My dear friend Anne Marie, Sue and me......

Joe Matteo presenting Chef Jody Klocko at the end of the Tea...
He received a huge round of applause.....


Chef Jody Klocko answering questions from guests....

The Wedding Cake was cut and served with warm peaches on top and we were all given a piece as a favor to take home.....

For us, that was upstairs....
LOL!

After the Tea, we were allowed to ask our friends up to the suite to visit with us for awhile.

We had a wonderful time.....

When they left, we changed into comfy clothes and watched The King's Speech in the sitting room of our suite...

PLEASE click HERE for Part Two of our Dream Weekend at the Stegmaier Mansion.
I have lots more of detailed pictures to share with you and pictures of the grounds in the back of the mansion.

For info on the Stegmaier Mansion, please Click HERE

We want to especially thank Joe Matteo, our gracious host , for a truly memorable weekend!!
This was probably the most time I spent relaxing in years!

We love you, Joe!!

I am linking up to :

Amaze Me Monday

Masterpiece Monday

Tea Cup Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

Wow US Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Cottage Flora Thursday

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Home Sweet Home Friday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Pink Saturday

Seasonal Sunday

Travels Near and Far Party

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me today and everyday that you take the time to do so!!

Hugs,
Debbie