World War I Event at Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House

Henry Sleeper was a famous interior designer and friend of A. Piatt Andrew, the founder of the American Field Service (AFS).  Sleeper recruited ambulance and camion drivers and raised funds for AFS during World War I, and also served at the Paris headquarters on Rue Raynouard from 1918-1919. 

Historic New England will be hosting a special historic home tour featuring AFS memorabilia at  Beauport,  the former home of Henry Sleeper, on June 20th.  Directly following the tour will be a presentation by the grandson and great-nephew of two World War I drivers at the nearby Cape Ann Museum.  More information about both events can be found below, or on the Historic New England Web site here.

Stories from the Front: Sleeper and the American Field Service
Saturday, June 30, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House, 75 Eastern Point Boulevard, Gloucester, Mass.
$15. This program is exclusively for Historic New England members. Nonmembers who wish to attend this program must first purchase a membership.
Registration is required. Please call 978-283-0800 for more information.

Beauport creator Henry Davis Sleeper, together with neighbor and friend Abram Piatt Andrew, was instrumental in establishing the American Field Service (volunteer ambulance drivers) during World War I. Sleeper recruited volunteers and raised significant funds for Model T Fords to be used as ambulances. Stories from the Front begins with an introduction to the American Field Service (AFS) by experts and collectors William Foley and Ronald Poteat followed by a brief tour of Beauport highlighting the objects and stories related to the AFS. The program concludes with a talk by George King III of Norwich, Connecticut, who recently recreated a 1916 field hospital vehicle used during World War I in France, using original parts and materials. The vehicle will be on display.

Two Brothers: Stories from the Front Lines of World War I
Saturday, June 30, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, Mass.
Free to Historic New England and Cape Ann Museum members, $5 nonmembers
Registration is recommended. Please call 978-283-0800 for more information

Archaeologist and curator Timothy Kendall shares the story of his grandfather and great-uncle, who volunteered as ambulance drivers in the American Field Service during World War I. Serving in the Balkans and France, respectively, the Boston-born brothers documented their experiences in photographs and journals. Gloucester resident Abram Piatt Andrew founded the American Field Service with Beauport's Henry Davis Sleeper. The program continues with a talk by George King III of Norwich, Connecticut, who recently recreated a 1916 field hospital vehicle used during World War I in France using original parts and materials. The afternoon concludes with a viewing of select scenes from Our American Boys at War in Europe, the film Sleeper used to recruit volunteers and crucial funds for the effort.

Photograph: Beauport, Courtesy of Historic New England.

Posted June 7, 2012