Salmon Brook Historical Society is exhibiting eight historic wedding gowns during the 2024 summer season. The gowns and accessories on display have a connection to Granby families and span the years 1866 through 1954. The exhibit will open for Sunday tours from 2 to 4 p.m. on June 2 through Sept. 29. The Enders and Rowe Houses on the main society campus are graced by the presence of these gowns and their histories.
The earliest gown on display was worn by Estelle Holcomb of West Granby for her wedding to Mason Good Wilcox on June 26, 1866. Estelle’s two-piece gown is periwinkle, now faded to a silvery blue and black, perhaps a sign of mourning given the times she lived in. The periwinkle silk bodice is trimmed with black silk, lace and piping. Its rare needle-worked buttons are created on a silk-covered mold, its pattern stitched with needle and thread to create a periwinkle star on a black silk ground. The skirt is periwinkle and black silk, trimmed with black lace and pleated at the hem.
Unfortunately, the black silk on the gown has been affected by the salts and metals used to treat the silk threads in the manufacturing process known as weighted silk. The treatment added weight to silk which sold by weight, hence costing more, but also added the desirable rustling sound to the silk. While the periwinkle silk remains in good condition over 150 years later, the black weighted silk does not. Despite attempts to reinforce it, the black silk remains too fragile to display on a dress form. The skirt is exhibited lying flat for viewing.
Estelle Holcomb’s young adult years came during the Civil War. Estelle was 17 years old in May 1861 when, after the Union’s defeat at Fort Sumter, 17 young men from West Granby enlisted in the 4th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry and left for the war. Estelle likely knew these young men well. Later that summer, Estelle made a quilt using the pattern in the July 1861 issue of Peterson’s Magazine inspired by the Fort Sumter flag and its distinctive 34-star diamond.
Estelle and Mason’s only child, Charles, born in 1874, donated his mother’s wedding gown and Stars and Stripes quilt to the society in 1962, ensuring these treasured items would survive as a part of Granby’s history. Estelle Holcomb’s Stars and Stripes Quilt is one of very few quilts from this early pattern that survives today.
In addition to Estelle Holcomb’s gown, there are seven other bridal gowns on display exhibiting fashion styles and changes over the years. All beautiful in their own way, some have interesting stories to share while some remain to be discovered. The society is excited to exhibit these gowns, some for the very first time. Stop by some summer Sunday and take a tour.