Today I once again was able to discover a gem in our area. I had heard about the Helena Modjeska Historic House before, but I had not visited it. When I noticed an interesting program being run there, I immediately signed up. In the first hour we got a short tour of the house, and in the second hour we created lavender wands from fresh lavender we picked in the garden. I really enjoyed both. I was able to take a few pictures of the place, which I’d like to share with you.

Very briefly about the history: Helena Modjeska, a Polish actress, moved to America with her husband in 1876 in search of a new life. After a very short time of trying to farm, she started learning English, and soon she was able to perform in the States as an actress. She became a beloved performer all over the country, and after a decade on the road, she and her husband bought a cottage in an Orange County canyon. With the help of architect Stanford White, they built a wonderful house with a beautiful garden. This is what I visited today.

I don’t want to give away a lot from the tour, you should visit the place if you can. It’s truly picturesque and the stories about Modjeska are very interesting. She was a very talented actress, musician, author, etc. Some parts of the house shown on the pictures were later additions. (Iphone and Lensbaby Burnside 35 images.)

This is where we picked the lavender for the wands.

These wands were created over a decade ago – one might be 20 years old.

Here is my first attempt of making the wand. There is a lot of room for improvement… :). I have some lavender growing in the backyard, I’ll try this again when I’ll have enough flowers.

Information on the historic house:

29042 Modjeska Canyon Road
Silverado, CA 92676

(949) 923-2230

Docent led tours of the historic house and gardens are currently offered 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, by advance reservation. Park patrons are welcome to enjoy the self-guided grounds on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.