Lady in Blue

I went to anAmerican Civil War encampment

at Graeme Park in Horsham, PA

I had never visited there before

and was able to take advantage of a 

tour of the Keith House.

One of the reeactors was this lovely lady

dressed in blue.

 Her dress is Civil War era.

Although the house is steeped in

Revolutionary War era history 

it did exist and house a family

through the Civil War as well.

The history surrounding Keith House
is fascinating
and I will post on that
in the near future.




Seeing our Lady in Blue there
gave you the feel of a glimpse
back in time.

The complete photo gallery is here.

If you go...
We had a wonderful tour by a 
very knowledgeable high school senior.
The grounds are free and
Keith House tours are only $5.
If you live nearby, please stop in!
These historic places 
have suffered severe budget cuts
and need our help to survive
through the current economy.

Pennsylvania German Heritage Festival

Out in Lebanon County, PA

there is plenty of German heritage.

Mostly what would be called Pennsylvania Dutch.

Redware by Steve and Susan Horst

Interestingly enough,

Pennsylvania Dutch has nothing to do with being Dutch!
These people are of German descent.

 and are generally trilingual

speaking formal German, English

and their own German dialect called

Pennsylvania Dutch

Here are some handcraft photos from the event:

Brooms by Daniel Michael

Years ago I purchase a handmade broom

and it is wonderful!

Beats anything you can buy at Walmart.

I love scherenschnitte
and combined with my love of Windsor chairs
I can see some of those framed silhouettes
on my wall in the future.

Brenda Miller

Tole painting mini hope chests by
American Art Traditions

Quilts are a huge part of the culture.

Sharon Zook

Soaps by Ricki Light

This is a free annual event in Lebanon, PA
at the Harrisburg Area Community College
branch in Lebanon.

It is a rather small event
and not worth a long drive to attend,
but if you are local -
stop in and check it out.

"All Aboard!"

On a little visit to Lancaster County, PA

I found myself riding the Strasburg Railroad.

Like the good photographer I am,
I recorded remembered forgot
our engineer's name.
But he was very nice and knowledgeable
and wearing blue!

The railroad was founded in 1832 

and carried President Abraham Lincoln

for a 4 minute visit to Lancaster!
That is something to 'toot' about.

After falling into disrepair in the mid 1950s,

as so many historic things do,

the railroad found a second life

and opened to visitors in 1958.



Your tour takes you through the
beautiful Amish countryside.

The rail car I rode on was 80% original

and the railroad here is known throughout the country 

as an example of 19th century rail roads.

I am so happy spring is here.

It has been a long winter!

The Amish Quilt Auction in Bart, Pennsylvania

As part of the annual Mud Sale events

in Lancaster County, PA,

the Amish offer many quilts for auction.

Despite their dark, solid color of dress

the quilts are bright and full of patterns.

Here in the firehouse of Bart Twp.,

blue is an approved color for dress

and quilts alike!

Sadly, we thought the quilts were

going for a song.

So much work!

I would be disheartened

if I had made one.

I am sure many people
went home with beautiful
handmade works of art.

Bart Township Mud Sale

Mud Sales in Lancaster County, PA

are fund-raising events for the local fire departments.

Mud sales are traditionally held 

in Amish communities in the spring

when the ground is thawing and muddy.

Thousands of Amish and 'English'

gather for these affairs

which offer a wide selection of food and auctions.

Here many have gathered for the
Pony and Horse Auction.

Buggies waiting for auction.

New they are valued at about $10,000

but were auctioning lower than that today.

Below, I can just imagine...
"When I grow up my buggy is gonna have..."

Amish Youth Volleyball was a definite highlight for these folks.

Hundreds of quilts were offered for auction as well.

I will post on that tomorrow.

All the photos from this gallery can be found here.

Whitemarsh Hall: A Sad Tale

Once upon a time

nearly a century and a half ago

a little baby boy was born

and he was named

Edward T. Stotesbury.

Edward was the child of Quaker parents 

living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

And like most of his peers,

he attended Philadelphia Public Schools,

then Friends' Central High School

and after graduation was tutored

in business by

Thomas May Peirce.

His career in business

started as a grocery clerk,

then as a clerk for a sugar refinery 

in which his father was a junior partner.

 He moved on to a banking house,

Drexel & Co. in 1866

which later partnered with

J. P. Morgan.

By 1882 he was a partner.

He amassed a net worth of 

100 million dollars 

and had several mansions to his name.

El Mirasol in Palm Beach FL

Wingwood House, Bar Harbor ME

The Walnut Street Mansion, Philadelphia PA

and his primary residence:

Whitemarsh Hall in Wyndmoor PA

It is said by the end of his life

he told his stepson (married to Doris Duke) 

that he planned on squandering his

accumulated wealth himself.

True to his word,

he began withdrawing $10 million a year

 and died leaving a $4 million estate.

 His 6 story Georgian mansion and gardens in Pennsylvania

demanded $1 million a year to operate.

So, after Edward's death,

his widowed wife moved away from Whitemarsh Hall.

Whitemarsh Hall

was left to

the weather and vandals.

It became neglected,

dilapidated,

overgrown,

vandalized,
forgotten.

In April of 1980 is was demolished,
yes, demolished,

and replaced with builder grade 

multifamily housing.

And so the Fairy Tales ends...

or perhaps it is not a fairy tale after all.

If you look carefully,

here and there,

you might catch a glimpse of this great mansion. 

 Of all his mansions,

only one still stands in tact

and of the other three

you can only find remains.

How incredibly sad.

The information above is gleaned from this site.

I have only visited the remains of Whitemarsh Hall
and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information

Here is Whitemarsh Hall in its glory.  

All the photos from this gallery can be found here.