Christmas in the 19th Century by Lantern Light
Annual holiday event at Hale Farm and Village is a stroll through the grounds on Christmas Eve 1865
There was no electric light, heat and food came from the family hearth and there was no shortage of prejudice against Irish Catholics in the town of Wheatfield, but Christmas Eve was a joyous time for the Conroy family. "Men were coming home from the Civil War, everyone was anticipating a festive time," said Sarah Schlea, who plays Molly Conroy the fictional family depicted in Hale Farm & Village's annual Lantern tour in Bath. "The Irish were just one wrung above the slaves back then, so life was hard... it was hard to find work. Most of the Conroy family members would have hired themselves out as domestic workers or farmers," Schlea said, "even young children." Schlea and her fellow actors take visitors on a 90-minute trip back in time in…
