‘...we’d usually have a guest speaker. But with the food, we’re trying to make it as close as possible.’”

Holst

The annual Clouds Hill Museum Harvest Dinner is usually an event where people can experience a themed dinner in an authentic Victorian mansion. But due to the ongoing pandemic, diners will enjoy their meal at home.

The Cloud Hill Museum is a Victorian home built in 1872 as a wedding gift for newlyweds Elizabeth Ives Slater Reed and Alfred Augustus Reed Jr. by Elizabeth’s father, William Smith Slater. Samuel Slater, who established textile factories including Slater Mill in Pawtucket and is considered “the father of the Industrial Revolution,” was William Smith Slater’s uncle. The family has lived in the home since, and the current owner, Anne Holst, is the Reeds’ great-granddaughter. 

Today, the home is a museum and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house is open to the public, with much of the original, authentic Victorian-era interior, exterior and furniture remaining in place. It is also home to a carriage museum, with 12 historical carriages and related accessories from history, and an arboretum with over 70 different species of plants. 

Holst serves as the museum curator.

On Saturday, Oct. 10 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the museum will provide pre-packaged meals for pickup instead of their usual in-person event. Typically, the fundraiser is held in-person, outdoors and raises about $10,000 each year. Holst said that due to COVID-19 social distancing protocols, the museum had to get creative about how to operate their largest annual fundraiser. This is the first fundraiser the museum has been able to host since the economic shutdown in March.

“A lot of our guests are older people, and a lot of them are a little bit unsure about mingling in crowds, even if you’re socially distanced,” Holst said. “We weren’t sure whether or not things were going to change, because we usually have well over 100 people attending, and the catering staff. And setting up can be expensive, and with the uncertainty around health, we thought the virtual one would work better.”

The dinner includes a feast catered by Tom’s Market in Coventry. A $100 prepackaged meal includes hors d’oeuvres including a seafood stuffie, eggplant and tomato pesto crostini and corn fritters with local honey. The soup is roasted root vegetable and cannellini, while the pasta is cavatappi aglio e olio with roasted grape tomatoes. Main entrees include seared Atlantic salmon with cranberry, orange and fennel chutney and cider braised pork with grain mustard and roasted onions, with a vegetable medley and “death-by-butter” garlic mashed potatoes offered as sides. Customers can choose between red wine, white wine or non-alcoholic beverages to complete their package. Those interested can RSVP at www.cloudshill.org/event-details/annual-harvest-supper-preservation-fundraiser 

The museum will also hold a raffle in which one lucky winner will receive 50 percent of the money raised by the fundraiser. One ticket costs $10, six cost $50 and 13 tickets cost $100. Tickets can be purchased by mail with a check payable to Clouds Hill Museum, PO Box 522, East Greenwich, RI 02818. You may also purchase a ticket in person, but due to COVID-19 regulations, entrants need to call ahead at (401)-884-9490 for a time to stop by the museum.

Holst said that in the past, dinners were themed based on the family’s past, and the produce is locally-grown. 

“The biggest challenge is we try to have an educational component each year,” Holst said. “The theme dinners are themed around the house and family, and we’d usually have a guest speaker. But with the food, we’re trying to make it as close as possible.

Looking toward the future, Holst said events such as the After the Fox Hunt Dinner and the Victorian Christmas Dinner are scheduled for later this year, but she is not sure how or if they will occur.

“It’s a major source of keeping the museum in people’s eyes,” Holst said. “If you close up and don't do anything, people forget about the past.”

The Clouds Hill Museum is currently open for tours. Visitors have to call ahead to reserve a visit due to COVID-19 distancing, and all visitors and curators are required to wear masks.