FERRISBURGH — What happens when four generations of one family live out their lives in the same house? Many things transpire, of course, including the accumulation of a lot of stuff.
In the case of Rokeby Museum, from 1793 to 1961 four generations of the Robinson family lived in the historic home that is now one of the center pieces of this National Historic Landmark designated for its well-documented Underground Railroad history.
The Museum’s 2019 special exhibit, opens July 14 and runs through October 27, featuring a unique gallery exhibition inviting visitors to meet each generation of this remarkable family of farmers, abolitionists, artists, writers and home-makers by examining what they left behind. From portraits painted by one, to notes attached to objects by another, some aspects of who they were is made clear. In other cases, items like a chair and chest of drawers provides a sense of the person. And other objects, at first glance, may appear as conundrums.