PO Box 564 STHS ANNUAL HISTORY IN MOTION: Flourtown, PA 19031 215-233-4600 Carson Valley & Erdenheim Farm: www.springfieldhistory.org Fantasy Village & Country Estate OCTOBER 2018 Thursday, November 1 at the Ambler Theater IN THIS ISSUE: 103 E. Butler Pike, Ambler • President’s Corner ..................... 2 Doors open at 7pm; presentation to begin at 7:30pm • Archives Update ........................ 2 he Carson Valley School At the time, many orphaned boys • Whitemarsh Hall in Wartime ... 3 and Erdenheim Farm, once attended Girard College in Phila- • Library Highlights ...................... 3 parts of a single property, are delphia. Now, children assisted by • Family tree with descendants T places of unparalleled beauty and Carson are there for only six to eight of Peter A B Widener ................ 4 serenity at the edge of Philadelphia. months, as there are more solutions • Spotlight on Springfield: Speaker Dr. David Contosta will tell for them. And they no longer go to Coupe Flowers .......................... 4 the story of how this unlikely pair- The Sheep Barn at Erdenheim Farm was the local high school, Contosta said. • Whitemarsh Hall Urns .............. 5 built when the Widener family owned the ing has been shaped and preserved property. Photo by Carol Franklin. Contosta, a Professor of History at • From the Archives ..................... 6 over several centuries. Chestnut Hill College, is the author The program will begin with of more than 20 books, many of the evolution of Erdenheim Farm them about the Philadelphia region. OFFICERS as it expanded and contracted before These include “Suburb in the City: T. Scott Kreilick taking something like its final form Chestnut Hill Philadelphia;” “A President when the Widener family took over Philadelphia Family: The Hous- Albert M. Comly, Jr. in 1917. tons and Woodwards of Chestnut Vice President The farm had been established Hill;” and “Metropolitan Paradise: W. Scott Armington The stone bridge at Erdenheim Farm was Treasurer in the 18th century. By the late 19th designed by Horace Trumbauer. Photo by Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley,” Katie Worrall century it was a gentleman’s farm Carol Franklin co-authored with Carol Franklin. Secretary similar to an English country estate. Contosta has also written about Horace Trumbauer, who designed Henry Adams, Abraham Lincoln, DIRECTORS Whitemarsh Hall in Springfield and Charles Darwin. His most recent Robert Brock Township, designed the stone bridge book is “America’s Needless Wars.” In Dorothy J. Cutler over the Wissahickon Creek in the addition, he has lectured at universities Katharine Haight 1920s, as well as the sheep barn, and in China and South Korea. At present Cynthia Hamilton enlarged the house at the top of the he is working on a documentary film Amanda M. Helwig hill. The Wideners also tore down Red Gables Cottage at Carson. about the Wissahickon Valley. Victor L. Henkels some unsightly buildings on the estate, Photo courtesy of Carson Valley Children’s Aid. A complimentary wine tasting will Dolores Jordan Cannon Contosta said. be provided by Chaddsford Winery. Laura Reich “Robert N. Carson owned the Erdenheim property Proceeds of History in Motion5 will benefit the Judy Smith in the early 20th century when he wanted to start an Springfield Township Historical Society, a 501(c) Anna Coxe Toogood orphanage,” according to Contosta, who said that 87 (3) non-profit organization that seeks to collect, preserve, Robert Wilmot acres were detached for the school, then called Carson and promote the history of Springfield Township. ADVISORY BOARD College for Orphaned Girls. Tickets are $25 per person. To purchase tickets visit Shirley E. Hanson Opened in 1918, Carson enrolled orphans from ages the historical society’s website, www.springfieldhistory. 6 to 18. Elsa Ueland, the institution’s founding presi- org to order tickets under the Event Tab, History In EDITORS dent, was a former settlement house worker who wanted Motion or send a check payable to the Springfield Town- Cindy Hamilton a school based on the principles of progressive education. ship Historical Society to the historical society at PO Christine Fisher Smith As it turned out, elementary school-age girls 564, Flourtown, PA 19031. Katie Worrall were educated at Carson while those of high school For more information, call the historical society at age attended Springfield Township High School. 215-233-4600. STHS ANNUAL HISTORY IN MOTION: We would like to extend special thanks to the sponsors for History in Motion 5. Below is the list of sponsors as of the date this issue went to press: $1,000 Angela Colloi with Mortgage Bank America UPDATE $500 rchives BQ Basement Systems Kreilick Conservation Over Athe last few months, STHS has received into its holdings: Dan Helwig, Inc. Realtors Littleton Contractors n The Chestnut Hill Conservancy donated four (4) photographs of the $250 Anthe Catherine Worrall Carson Valley School. n A “Wash-a-Month Club, Good for 12 Washes” punch card from the $100 Coxy Toogood Michelle C. Berk, P.C. Flourtown Car Wash was sent to us from Glendinning Contractors Michael DeLaurentis For Concrete Work, LLC on behalf of Joan O’Reilly. n Board Member, Cynthia Hamilton has added to the STHS Papers Special thanks to Chaddsford Winery for hosting the complimentary wine tasting. with material pertaining to Board activities. n Issues of The Springfield Sun, Enterprise, and Pennsylvania History, which have long since been in storage, have now been accessioned. Issues of Pennsylvania History, have been cataloged and are available for research, the others are still in process. We are extremely thankful for all of our dedicated volunteers. In the last few months, they provided approximately 75 hours of service. This summer, we lost another historic building in Springfield n On-going efforts by volunteers Ray Smith, Barbara Coleman, and Township. If Springfield Township had a Historic Preservation Ordi- Steve Lester to sort organize, scan, catalog records in the Society’s nance, the house at 8600 Montgomery Avenue in Wyndmoor might collection, as well as assist researchers, have made a significant still be standing. contribution to the accessibility of the STHS holdings. The Zwickers The house at 8600 Montgomery Avenue was quite unique. The continue to scan through the Whitemarsh Hall photos for corrections house was built in 1954 for Russell and Elizabeth Medinger. In collabo- and updating descriptions. ration with the Medingers, the house was designed in the mid-1930s by n We are also happy to welcome Julie Lawson as a new archival volunteer. Miles Dechent, a well-known architect and painter from Reading. The Julie started in July and is helping to input collection material into the house was designed as a circa-1700 hillside farmhouse and was true to collection database software. historical scale, proportion, and furnishings. The windows were glazed STHS has had several inquiries: with hand-blown glass. The hardware and nails were hand-forged. The n Vance Koehler visited STHS to conduct on-site research of our terra cotta roof tiles were manufactured between the mid-1700s-1868 Enfield Tile material. at the Black Cat Pottery in Olney, PA. n Several requests have come in from those doing genealogical research. In April 2018, the owner of the property submitted plans to the n The family of Elizabeth Gertrube Haig Smith (wife of Charles K. Township and a building permit was approved for the construction of Smith, founder of Woodmere Art Museum) are looking for more an addition to the house. The addition did not require any variances. information into their grandmother’s life. So, there was no requirement for Zoning Board or Planning Commis- n Marshall McCloskey is researching his great grandfather, John sion review. On July 11th, the Township staff confirmed to me that the McCloskey who worked as a trainer and breeder at Erdenheim farm plans called for the demolition of the small attached garage at the rear in the late nineteenth century. of the house and a large addition, but not complete demolition. In late July 2018, the owner altered the plans, which resulted in the removal n of more of the existing building than what was previously proposed. If you are interested in volunteering, researching a topic, Updated plans were submitted, but there was no further permitting or have items you wish to donate to the Society, please email us required or review by the Zoning Board or Planning Commission. The at [email protected]. house has now been completely demolished. The Township Commissioners have received a draft of a Historic Preservation Ordinance from the Planning Commission. At their September working meeting, the Commissioners agreed to move the process forward. The to While it’s not certain that the house at 8600 Montgomery Avenue Archives the would have been included in the list of historic properties created as are Public part of a Historic Preservation Ordinance, it certainly would have been OPEN considered. Please contact your Township Commissioner to request that they make adopting a Historic Preservation Ordinance a priority. TUESDAYS 7pm – 9pm Thank you. WEDNESDAYS 1pm – 5pm T. Scott Kreilick SATURDAYS 9am – 12noon President, Springfield Township Historical Society For more information, call 215-233-4600 2 LIBRARY Whitemarsh Hall in Wartime HIGHLIGHTS During the bulk of World German air raids that the Museum notion that the house was vacant. Written by Ray Smith War II, Whitemarsh Hall, the much feared. Now, however, we can see Looking ahead to the upcom- former mansion of Edward T. During most of that time, a few examples of brief happy ing “History In Motion,” we’re going Stotesbury which sat high on the no activity could be seen by the times at Whitemarsh Hall during to take a look at a Widener family ridge east of Paper Mill Road in casual observer – the Museum’s that period, thanks to the family biography, Without Drums, written in Wyndmoor appeared to be aban- of Mr.