The Pink Bedroom

      All four of the upstairs rooms were bedrooms and each was furnished with two double beds.  This room belonged to Gladys Fauntleroy and is now interpreted to reflect the life of a young Victorian girl.  Children were expected to behave as tiny adults in both manners and dress.  Victorian life was centered on adults and children were often largely raised by the domestics or a nanny.  Pursuits considered appropriate for girls included playing with dolls or dollhouses, hosting nursery teas for friends, and various craft projects like making paper flowers, decoupage, silk painting, and cutting paper into elaborate designs.

     This room often housed as many as six to eight girls, as relatives liked to “summer” at Avoca. Summer was a time of great activity at Avoca with guests participating in pickling, preserving, gardening, churning, sewing and all sorts of leisure activities to fill the long days.  At night, adults gathered on the front porch while children played croquet in the yard, sang songs or caught fireflies.  By September things would quiet down and all the guests would head for home.