The BULLETIN of the RADNOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY Volume VI 2010 No
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The BULLETIN of the RADNOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY Volume VI 2010 No. 10 Incorporated April 30, 1948 Headquarters and Museum THE FINLEY HOUSE 113 West Beech Tree Lane Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 Telephone: 610-688-2668 - www.radnorhistory.org Visitors Welcome Tuesdays & Saturdays, 2 to 4 pm BOARD OF DIRECTORS EDWARD POLLARD, President NANCY FISCHER, Vice President LYNN ELLIS, Secretary BRIAN NOLL, Treasurer BEVERLEE BARNES KATHY BRIGHT DOUGLAS BROWN CHARLES CRAWFORD JOHN DALE SAMUEL F. ETR1S EVlE GIEGERlCH BENNETT HiLL STEPHEN H. PENDERGAST ANDREA P1LLJNG GREGORY PRICHARD CATHY SIPLE SALLY SPARGO CAROL W. CREUTZBURG, EMERiTA CONTENTS Page Board of Directors Report 1 George Smith Memorial 3 Historical Society 2010 Program 5 Annual Meeting of the Society 6 Annual Dinner of the Society 7 Local Business Oral History 8 Reconstructing Williamsburg 10 The Ardrossan Estate 11 The Harriton House 13 Robinson Hall/Glencoe Estate 14 Cheerful Money 17 The Willows Cottage 18 Cleanliness in Early America 19 The Fred Harvey Story 20 Radnor War Memorial 21 RHS House Marker Program 22 Radnor Baptist Church Cemetery 25 Society Treasurer's Report 26 Radnor Historical Society Mission 27 RHS Members and Patrons 28 Finley House Volunteers/Guides 30 Errata 31 Editor: Samuel F Etris, Photos by Editor Board of Directors Report The Archive Committee of the Radnor Historical Society was organized in 2000 as the result of a survey of the Society's collection conducted in 1995. It became obvious that a focused, significant effort was required for the organization of our large collection of historic photographs and documents. The Society purchased a computer and the required programs to effect a digital storage of both text and photographs in a system permitting ready retrieval. We have entered all of our photographs into a master index developed by Ted Pollard and the Committee. Each photo is now titled with key words matching our index, then scanned into digital format, and entered into the computer's master index. Over 2900 historic photographs have been entered in our key word index. Over 5000 photographs, illustrations, and maps have been converted into digital format for our retrieval system. The collection is organized into specific categories including: collections in scrapbooks, images of local Boy Scout troops, picture albums borrowed from their owners, Radnor police files, WWII articles from the Suburban and Wayne Times, and Real Estate collections from Radnor Realtors. The local Boy Scout troops Wayne 284 and Radnor 1 had stored their archives in their headquarters located in a former Radnor School building on the Ardrossan Farm. As the building is not critter proof and not protected from heat, cold, nor humidity, we have scanned their photo archive and we are now protecting the originals from further ravage. A cooperative project is under way with the Radnor American Legion, Radnor Memorial Library, and our Society to archive the biographies of those named on the Radnor War Memorial. Radnor High School yearbooks revealed some of our heroes and we scanned a scrapbook of news articles covering 1942 to 1945. Direct contacts with the families and friends of our heroes have provided us with information not found elsewhere. We have been very fortunate to have scanned the photographs of images loaned by families in the community. Family names such as: Sayen, Rawle, Etris, Fischer, Falcone, Schultz, Watson, Morris, and others. We find this is an ongoing project as new images and objects are continually being offered to us. They are collected and posted on our website RadnorHistory.Org. The ultimate objective of our work is to provide images that anyone can use directly from our website without George W. Smith having someone in the Finley House filling out requests. 1927 - 2010 We look forward to receiving donations or loans of images to George became a Director of the Society in 1983, served as preserve Radnor history. Treasurer in 1984, and as President from 1985 to 1993. At the Annual Meeting of the Society on May 1, 2005, the Steve Pendergast, Archive Committee Co-chairman members presented George a plaque stating the Board's appreciation for his long and effective contribution to the success of the Society. As a Partner of Johnson & Smith, Architects, he drew up the plans for improvements in the Finley House' rental apartment and for the "restoration" of its basement kitchen. He served on the committee to select the new roof for the Finley House and improvements to the Society's property. Through his family connections in Lancaster County, he supervised the restoration of the Society's Conestoga Wagon and arranged for the horses to pull it in Radnor's Memorial Day Parade. George was a professional architect with a Master of Arts degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked with architects Louis Kahn and Oscar Stonorov. He was a partner in his firm of Johnson/Smith Architects. One of his local projects was the design of the Radnor Fire House 2 3 Historical Society 2010 Programs June 19 - Harriton House Bruce Gill lectured on the historical background of the house, its January 12 - Radnor Memorial Library residents, and its 300 year-old estate. Charles Crawford moderated a panel on the local history of Radnor businesses: D' Amicantonio Shoe Store, Tony Cappelli & Son September 26 - Robinson Hall, former Glencoe Estate Contractors, and "Forster's Frame It." Owners discussed the early Jim Garrison discussed the estate, its architects, and its famous years of business in Radnor. owners. February 16 - Radnor Memorial Library September 28 - Radnor Memorial Library Lisa Fischer presented a digital study of historic Williamsburg from Tad Friend spoke of his book: Cheerful money: Me, My Family and its beginnings. the Last Days of Wasp Splendor. March 9 - Founders Hall, Haverford College October 10 - Willows Cottage Annual Dinner. Bill Astifan spoke on the College Arboretum Clarissa Dillon and Sara Pilling reviewed the early farm life in originally designed in 1834. Radnor, and Sean Roulan reviewed the current status of the Cottage. March 16 - Radnor Memorial Library October 27 - Radnor Memorial Library David Nelson Wren reviewed the history of the Ardrossan Estate. Kathleen M. Brown reviewed her book: Foul Bodies, Cleanliness in Early America. April 18 - Jenkins Arboretum Harold Sweetman talked of the history of the Arboretum, its new November 3 - Radnor Memorial Library building, and its collections. Stephen Fried reviewed his book, Appetite for America: How Visionary Business Man Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality April 24 - Bennett Hill conducted a tour of the Finley Empire that Civilized the Wild West. House for Wayne Elementary students. November 30 - Finley House April 29 & 30 - Bennett Hill conducted a tour of the Finley House Bennett Hill conducted a guided tour of the Finley House for the for two Radnor Elementary classes and their parents. Ithan Elementary School Tiger Cub Pack of First Graders. May 5 - Bennett Hill conducted a tour of the Finley and Wagon December 18 - Finley House Houses for the Irwin School Second Grade Class. Cardy Crawford read selections from Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory. May 31- Memorial Day Parade The Historical Society's horse-drawn Conestoga Wagon participated in the Township's Memorial Day Parade. 4 5 Annual Meeting, 2010 Annual Dinner of the Society The Annual Meeting of the Society was held at the newly The 2010 Annual Dinner was held in the Founders Great Hall of completed Education Center of Jenkins Arboretum, Devon. Haverford College. The Hall is an addition to the first building on the campus completed in 1833. Harold Sweetman, Executive Director, explained the construction features of the new John 1. Williams Education Center designed to be Bill Astifan, Manager of the College Arboretum, explained how environmentally friendly, with geo-thermal heating and cooling by students and faculty have maintained the gardens originally designed way of pipes drilled deep into the ground, recycling of both rain and by William Carvill, an English gardener, and his trees as an human waste water, and solar panels for electricity so as not to draw arboretum. on outside energy input. In 1831, a group of Quakers purchased some 200 acres of land, Mr. Sweetman spoke of the original home and property of H. part of the William Penn tract. They founded Haverford College and Lawrence Jenkins, whose father had been an official of the William Carvill was hired to create the campus. His founding work Pennsylvania Railroad. Jenkins' years of enjoyment of his gardens essentially remains and in 1901 a Campus Club was formed to led him to preserve the property as a natural woodland and wildlife preserve it. In 1974 the Campus Arboretum Association was founded sanctuary as a living memorial to his wife. to preserve this unique horticultural collection, and open it for tours available to the public. During the early years, the grounds became a haven for gardening enthusiasts. Over the years a formal organization became necessary The outstanding collection includes some 36 prime examples of to maintain the quality of the gardens, which eventually encompassed North American trees, including the Pennsylvania Co-Champion 46 acres. Flowering Dogwood, the Pennsylvania State Champion Red Oak, and the Pennsylvania State Champion False Cypress, the largest The Jenkins is now one of Pennsylvania's major horticultural known tree of its kind in the state, some 75 feet tall. showcases for native trees, rhododendrons, azaleas, laurels, ferns, and wildflowers. With its new Education Center and permanent staff, the Jenkins Arboretum is recognized statewide as an important element in the preservation of Pennsylvania's woodland heritage 6 7 Local Business Oral History l John Braxton said that "Braxton's" was founded in 1938 by his parents. His father had been involved in the pet supply business from Mr.