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Wetu & the White -Ellery House
April 20 @ 10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Free and open to the public
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 10:30 am and at 12:00 pm
Registration required
Visit the Cape Ann Museum Green for a tour of the historic White -Ellery House (1710) and the wetu. These two structures provide an important opportunity to explore the early colonization of Gloucester and the impact on the Native people of the area.
The White Ellery-House has been owned by the Museum since 1947 and is one of just a handful of early eighteenth century structures in the region exhibiting much of its original interior detailing. The White-Ellery House was used first as a parsonage for the Reverend John White. Between 1740 and 1947, it was occupied by six generations of the Ellery family; early on the house was used as a tavern and sometimes as the meeting place for town officials. Prior to the American Revolution, the neighborhood surrounding the White-Ellery House was the Town Green, center of the community and home to the wealthiest families.
The wetu was built next to the White-Ellery House in May 2023 by members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe as part of Native Waters; Native Lands, a collaborative partnership between the Cape Ann Museum, the Gloucester 400+ Anniversary Committee, Discover Gloucester, the City of Gloucester, and SmokeSygnals, a Wampanoag creative production company. Built out of white cedar using traditional methods, a structure like this fits a family of four and would have been covered in chestnut bark.
This summer, contemporary artwork by Robert Peters will be installed on the wetu frame to create a Contemporary Art Wetu on the Cape Ann Museum Green. Come back in July to see the next stage of this exciting project!