A Victorian Era Mystery: “Whodunit” at the Mansion

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is launching its sixth annual writing competition entitled, A Victorian Era Mystery: “Whodunit” at the Mansion, which will start on February 15 and end on June 7, 2019 with an awards presentation on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019.

Detective novels became popular during the Victorian era, when the Mansion and the estate known then as “Elm Park” were built for LeGrand and Ann Louisa Lockwood.  The LMMM 2019 Young Writers’ Competition, whose themes are inspired by the great mystery genre trending in the mid-19^th century and still widely read today, aims to inspire and challenge all participants. The competition is open to all students, third through eighth grade. Their characters will be drawn from 19^th century members of the Lockwood or Mathews families, by reading their history on the LMMM website, under the tab, “History,” and by talking to the museum’s educators, if needed.

Young writers may introduce fictional friends that might have visited the Lockwoods or the Mathews at the Mansion for a special occasion, such as a dinner party or a private concert, as well as a fictional detective from the City of Norwalk. All descriptions must be in keeping with the historical period selected.

Writers will have to learn about the Mansion’s Period Rooms, as they will serve as the backdrop for their story. The objective is to create a short historical and partly fictionalized account that will include at least three facts weaved into the fictional story. All stories must have non-violent content.  No murders, please!

The stories will be picked up from contestants and their teachers on Friday, June 7^th and competition winners will be notified by mid-September.  Competition winners and their families will be Guests of Honor at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, 2-4 p.m. Requirements for the competition will be tailored to third-eighth graders and posted on the Museum’s website and on flyers.

Requirements and Guidelines:  Grades 3-5    Grades 6-8

For more information on LMMM’s Young Writers’ Competition and school tours please contact our Education Program Director Iliana Begetis via email or (203) 838-9799 x 113.

The Museum’s 2019 cultural and educational programs are made possible in part by generous funding from LMMM’s Founding Patrons: The Estate of Mrs. Cynthia Clark Brown, LMMM’s 2019 Season Distinguished Benefactors: The City of Norwalk and The Maurice Goodman Foundation.

2018 Young Writers’ Award Ceremony – from left: Iliana Begetis, LMMM Education Program Director; Patsy R. Brescia, Chairman of the Board; Martha Franco, Third Grade Teacher at Kendall Elementary; Winner Emmett Rice from Columbus Magnet; Winner Madyson Gessner from Kendall Elementary; Senator Bob Duff; and Heidi Keyes from Board of Education. Photo courtesy of LMMM.