The Downton effect

‘Downton Abbey” - the British period drama that first captivated audiences across the pond - has American fans dreaming of tea and scones, speculating over plot twists, agonizing over season spoilers and going gaga for dreamy gentry.

No doubt, we are as smitten with the show as Lady Mary was with Matthew. (Oh! Matthew! Poor Matthew. Sigh.)

The bad news? Season 4 doesn't premiere on this side of the Atlantic Ocean until Jan. 5.

The good news? You can get a dose of Downton here in Eastern Iowa much sooner. And we're not talking about reruns on Netflix.

The Corridor is home to two historic sites - Cedar Rapids' Brucemore and Granger House in Marion - that both let us peek at life as it was 100 years ago.

While there are certainly differences between Brucemore and Downton - created by an ocean and time - Brucemore Executive Director David Janssen says visitors at Brucemore can get a better understanding of the history and the relationships that existed between owners and staff by exploring the spaces they once occupied.

The fictional Downton Abbey and real Highclere Castle, where the show is filmed, is a 1,000 acre estate in Hampshire, England. It has looked the way it does now since roughly 1839. The show, though, takes place in the early 1900s.

By comparison, Brucemore is a 21-room Victorian mansion that sits on 26 acres. It was built in 1884 and was a residence for three families until 1981 when it was bequeathed to National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Janssen doesn't credit the show with an increase in visitors, but he says “It's clear our visitors are conscious of ‘Downton Abbey.'

“What I really appreciate about what shows like ‘Downtown' do, is they excite a broader audience.”

“Downton Abbey” follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family as well as the stories of its servants. Arguably, the most interesting plot lines are at the intersection of the two worlds.

Brucemore has been letting visitors behind-the-scenes, so to speak, for years on its regular Hired Help and Nook and Cranny tours. This past year, though, was the first time they advertised these tours as a chance to get a peek at the life of a servant just as “Downton” does.

“The architecture and design at Brucemore are wonderful and serene. But when you can learn to see the real stories that are a part of this place, that is when it becomes a powerful tool,” Janssen says.

Brucemore - where historically anywhere from five to a dozen servants were employed - has the benefit of copious records that offer staff insight into those relationships and helped develop authentic tours.

“The servant story has been a part of Brucemore for a couple of decades,” Janssen says. “There was a movement in the historic house industry in the '90s to not just celebrate the wealthy owners of the estates but to also talk about the complex relationships that existed with their servants. This can't just be a monument to wealth and art. This estate involved work, and without the staff, the estate would not work. So talking about the servants is all part of the story.”

At Granger House in Marion, the focus has always been on yet another side of life at the turn of the century - that of the middle class.

“We stand in stark contrast to Brucemore,” says Kathy Wilson, executive director of the Granger House Museum. “People come and they expect just a small scale Brucemore.

“But our focus at Granger House is on the middle class and that is different from many historic house sites. This home has unique features but the family's story is very universal. The things the Grangers experienced are things everyone can identify with.”

Wilson often encourages people to visit Granger House and Brucemore so they can learn about the distinctions and how all the area's historic homes play a role in understanding local, regional and national history.

Granger House - built in 1848 and taking its name from the Granger family who lived in the home from 1873 to 1969 - is a Victorian Italianate residence listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open for public tours.

And much like Downton Abbey, Granger House had its own drama.

“This place is a lot more interesting than people think,” Wilson says. “People don't think there's any intrigue, but there was infidelity, shady dealings, illiteracy and conflict. This history is anything but boring.”

Wilson is also quick to remind people that historic museums change over time.

“There's a misconception that historic houses are static; that if you came years ago, it would just be the same but dustier now,” Wilson says. “But we change over time. We acquire new pieces. We host programs, events and classes. We are more than just a house with furniture in it.”