Smith-Appleby House Participating in Museum Day Live Sept. 28

The Smith-Appleby House Museum will participate in “Museum Day Live!” on Sept. 28 — the annual Smithsonian magazine event where participating museums across the country open their doors — for free admission — to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket.

This year, Museum Day Live! visitors to the Smith-Appleby House Museum will take a self-guided tour of the museum, and will learn about the family who lived in this home for seven generations. In addition, arts & crafts fun will include:

• Creating paper art called Scherenschnitte. Scherenschnitte (shear-n-snit-a) is the charming art of paper cutting, fun for young and old alike
   
• Making Thaumatropes. A thaumatrope is a popular toy for children in Victorian times. It consists of a paper circle attached to a stick or string. The circle has a different picture on each side. When a child quickly twirls the stick or string, the two images seem to merge. For example, a drawing of bird on one side and a tree on the other will appear as if the bird is perched upon the tree.

“Museum Day Live!” at the Smith-Appleby House Museum will take place Sept. 28, 2013, Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For Museum Day Live! information, visit the website. Visitors without a Museum Day Live! ticket are welcome at the regular admission of $5 per adult. Children are free.

The Smith-Appleby House Museum originated as a one-room stone-ender with a loft, built circa 1696 by Elisha Smith, a grandson of John Smith “The Miller”–one of Roger William’s original party of six men who left the Massachusetts Bay Colony to settle in Providence. Later generations of the family expanded the house over the years to its present 12 rooms. The house features a variety of original stencils, designs, furnishings, and exhibits, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Smith-Appleby House Museum is located at 220 Stillwater Rd. in Smithfield, RI, just off I-295.