Vestibule

The vestibule is the entry area, where a servant would greet guests. One enters through two sets of massive doors that weigh between 200 and 400 pounds.

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Reception Room

While guests' arrivals were announced to the owners of the house, they waited in the reception room, where their host or hostess would receive them.

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Drawing Room

Across the hall is the magnificent drawing room, used for important events, including the weddings and funerals of the residents of Terrace Hill.

This drawing room scene represents the centennial celebration of the 1899 wedding of F. M. Hubbell's daughter, Beulah, to a Swedish Count. When Beulah married in this room, she became a countess, but she gave up her American citizenship.

Important events still happen in this room today -- including the entertaining of foreign dignitaries.

The room is also noteworthy for its contents, including the 7 ½-foot crystal chandelier -- taller than most NBA players -- and the handcarved, laminated, rosewood Belter furniture.

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Music Room

The music room was the entertainment center of its day. Music was live and usually performed by the young women who lived in the house.

The piano in this room is a Steinway "Music Room Grand" patented in 1869 -- the same year Terrace Hill was completed.

The "S" shaped loveseat, known as a tête-à-tête, reflects the courting customs of its day.

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Main Hall

Large halls connect the rooms of the first floor. From their Wilton-carpeted floors to their 14 ½-foot ceilings, they offer points of interest -- and historic portraits -- best seen in person.

Student tour groups discover the "skeleton in the closet" and the wonders of the one-person lift that was there.

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Dining Room

The dining room is the place where everyone minds their manners, especially when the Governor sits at the head of the table.

For state dinners and receptions, food is brought up from the kitchen in the basement, as it was from the original kitchen more than 100 years ago. Sometimes the Governor and First Lady entertain guests in their private dining room on the third floor.

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Library

The library was another important room in the house. It was the gathering place for men and the in-home storehouse for knowledge. There are many interesting artifacts in the Terrace Hill library. Among them are F. M. Hubbell's leather chair, which sits close to the floor to accommodate his physical stature (he was 5 feet 2 inches tall) a signed portrait of Queen Victoria; a portable gentleman's "desk" the 1700s equivalent of today's laptop computer; and a partners' table, designed for two to work at once.

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Sitting Room

The sitting room is remarkable for its number of chairs. This was the "family room" of its day. It received the bright morning light necessary for sewing and needlework, and it provided a more relaxed atmosphere in which to gather.

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