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Barbara Silberman 978-281-5801 215-370-1142 (cell) barbsilberman@gmail.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SARGENT HOUSE MUSEUM HOSTS PRIVATEERING EVENT Featuring Nautical Dress, Caribbean Foodstuffs, Rum Punch and Silent Auction On Friday, August 8, 2014, the Sargent House will host its annual Sargent by the Sea fundraiser, newly inspired this year by Gloucester's privateering past. The event begins at 7P and tickets are $65 in advance at www.sargenthouse.org or $75 at the door. Tickets are limited. The event will benefit the educational programs and preservation of the Sargent House Museum. This year's event will feature Caribbean delights catered by Giuseppe's Ristorante paired with Ryan and Wood Distilleries' famous rum punch. Owners Bob and Kathy Ryan will provide information on the rum-making process. Peter Souza's renowned vocal group ‘Three Sheets to the Wind' will offer rousing sea chanteys. Coveted raffle items will include a sail on a private schooner, a private high tea at Sargent House, and a nautically-themed bag filled with seaside goodies. The event is inspired by the work of Judith Sargent Murray's husband, Captain John Stevens, who was a privateer during the American Revolution. Privateering was authorized by the Continental Congress during the War, and American patriots were encouraged to legally seize British ships and goods. Judith was concerned about her husband's safety and supportive of his patriotic activities. Privateering was in part responsible for the wealth needed to build the Sargent House. A cautious Judith remarked to a friend, ''Mr. Stevens made many distressing voyages…until at length fortune, as if weary of persecuting…gave him a share in an agency for an armed vessel fitted out by some friends.--This was an unexpected source of wealth, and it more than answered our most sanguine hopes.'' The mission of the Sargent House Museum is to promote the work, lif