Seaside has a 26 year tradition it loves to share with visitors. Those in town for the holiday season are invited to step back in time for Gingerbread Tea. Butterfield Cottage, a fully restored example of the classic Seaside beach cottage, is transformed for guests into a home celebrating a Victorian Christmas. There are garlands and wreaths, gingerbread homes and tinsel, all on display.
Gingerbread Tea is an annual fundraiser for the Seaside Museum & Historical Society, a group whose passion is collecting, preserving and interpreting materials that are illustrative of Seaside’s rich history. Those buying tickets for Gingerbread Tea ($5 adults, $3 children) receive free admission to the museum located next door. Butterfield Cottage is part of the museum and represents a vibrant part of Seaside’s History. Built by Horace Seely Butterfield, a prominent Portland jeweler in 1893, the home was originally located at 21 North Columbia which happens to be the present location of the Seaside Candyman. In 1984 the Cottage was given to the Historical Society and moved to its present location at 570 Necanicum Drive.
Stop in any Saturday between Thanksgiving and Christmas from 1-4 p.m. to see the cottage all dressed up. Be enveloped by the heady spices of the season as you dine on treats like warm gingerbread and homemade cookies. Sip tea, cocoa or cider and listen to the sounds of live musical instruments as they fill the cottage with sounds of the season. Musicians this year include the North Coast Ukulele Strummers and Linda Nielsen, a popular performer from other Seaside events. Also, if you want to take a memento home with you, enter the raffle for one of many prizes to be awarded – including several gingerbread houses. For just $1 per ticket ($5 for 8 tickets), you’ll be entered to win a prize in a drawing held December 17 at 4 p.m. You need not be present to win.
If you are in town for the holidays, we highly recommend this chance for you to be steeped in Seaside history while escaping the hustle and bustle of the season. While you are there, take a few reflective moments to remember Seaside as it was, a quiet coastal escape for those in the cities. Not so different from Seaside today, is it? See the Calendar of Events for upcoming dates of Gingerbread Tea.
