The Philadelphia Chapter of the Victorian Society invites you to…
Sunday, April 25, 2010 @ 1:30-4:30 pm
The
Philadelphia Chapter enjoyed a tour and lecture of the first modern building in the United States: Eastern State Penitentiary.
Most eighteenth century prisons were simply large holding pens where physical punishment and mutilation were common,
as was the abuse of prisoners by guards and overseers. In 1787, a group of powerful
Philadelphians convened in the home of Benjamin Franklin. The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public
Prisons expressed growing concern over the conditions in both American and European prisons. Pennsylvania
was the first to set the international standard in prison design.
It
took the Society more than thirty years to convince Pennsylvania to build the kind of prison it suggested, a revolutionary
new building on farmland outside Philadelphia. The result, Eastern State Penitentiary, opened in 1829. It broke sharply with
the prisons of its day, abandoning corporal punishment and ill treatment. It became the most expensive
American building of its time and also the most famous prison in the world. The role of the Penitentiary
would not be to punish, but to move the criminal toward spiritual reflection and change. This method was
a Quaker-inspired system accompanied by the use of physical labor. Proponents of the system believed strongly that the criminals,
with only thoughts of their behavior and the ugliness of their crimes, would become genuinely penitent. Thus
the origin of the word “penitentiary.”
Norman
Johnston, Professor Emeritus of Arcadia University, accompanied us on our tour. Dr. Johnston is co-editor of eight
textbooks on criminology, as well as author of The Human Cage: A Brief History of Prison Architecture;
Eastern State Penitentiary: Crucible of Good Intentions, Forms of Constraint:
A History of Prison Architecture, and Inside: Prison and Prison Life, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic
Site (2010). Dr. Johnston is currently Director Emeritus on the Board of the Pennsylvania Prison
Society and on the editorial board of their publication, The Prison Journal. He is also a member of the Board of Directors
of the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. He has visited prisons in twenty foreign countries as
well as numerous state and federal institutions in the United States.
Included
in our tour was the newly renovated synagogue that was used by prisoners. Following the tour, Dr.
Johnston accompanied us across the street to the London Grill, where he discussed prisons during the Victorian era.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 1:30 pm
Victorian
Period: Dignity and Decadence;
1837-1901
Did politeness and courtesy disappear with lorgnettes,
daguerreotypes, and antimacassars?Did throwaway plastic utensils from fast food restaurants
replace the strange and wonderful silver flatware serving
pieces found in every Victorian set?
Shirley
Sue Swaab recreated the niceties of a time that may never be recaptured. A collection of antique objects
were used throughout to illustrate this unique lecture. Our event was held at
The Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion. As the only authentically restored Victorian house museum and garden in Philadelphia, it was the perfect setting
for our lecture.
Shirley Sue Swaab, ASA an Accredited Senior Appraiser of the Philadelphia
Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers had appeared at museums and historical societies from New Jersey to Florida,
from Washington, DC to California. Shirley’s discipline was with personal property and her specialties
included Antiques and Decorative Arts. Her hallmark was the use of items from her own collections to create
hands-on presentations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday,
January 10, 2010 ~ 2 PM
Twelfth Night at
the
Henry Lister Townsend Castle
Our Annual Twelfth Night Celebration was held at the Henry Lister Townsend Castle on Wayne Avenue.
The owners and gracious hosts, Sandy and Timothy Weckesser, decorated their magnificent Victorian mansion home
for the Christmas season.
The “CASTLE”, as it is locally identified, is a two-thirds scaled down version of the
famous Druim Moir Castle built from 1885 to 1886 and designed by W. D. Hewitt and G. W. Hewitt, renowned
architects of the period, for Henry H. Houston. Henry Lister Townsend was the financier who admired Druim
Moir and contracted W.D. Hewitt to build the Wayne Avenue “Castle” as his personal home.
Our annual
Twelfth Night included a discussion of the history of the “Castle “by the owners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday,
October 25, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
“Death shadowed
every day of life in the nineteenth century”
“Victorian
Funeral Customs”
During the 19th century three of every twenty babies died before
their first birthday and those who survived infancy had a life expectancy of only forty–two years.
Therefore, death was a daily possibility. As a result Victorians took
death very seriously and a proper funeral was bound and structured by elaborate rules of etiquette and customs.
Curtains would be drawn and clocks would be stopped at the time of death. Mirrors were covered with
crape or veiling to prevent the deceased’s spirit from getting trapped in the looking glass.
Our lecturer, Robert Reese, is an active member of numerous historical societies in the region.
Mr. Reese has been studying and collecting Victorian funerary objects, such as hair jewelry, mourning cards and pictures,
for many years and will be sharing his knowledge and his collection with us during his talk. Our
event was held at the Awbury Arboretum in the Francis Cope House (1860) which is currently the Arboretum’s headquarters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Day in the Country
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
The event includes a guided tour of historic Pennypacker Mills located in Schwenksville followed by an
elegant lunch and tour of a stately Queen Ann mansion in nearby
Linfield.
Our day started at
the country estate of Samuel Pennypacker who served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1903-1907. The property
was landscaped by Thomas Meehan & Sons to highlight the Colonial Revival mansion and surrounding farmland of 170 acres. Originally constructed
about 1720, the mansion was redesigned and enlarged by architect Arthur Brockie in 1901 to enhance a country gentleman’s
lifestyle. It boasts Victorian décor and is fully furnished with antiques collected by the former governor and his
family.
Built in 1897 by Garret E. Brownback, this
beautiful salmon-stoned, 22-room Victorian mansion is a pleasant surprise to many visiting the small village of Linfield,
PA, located approximately 45 minutes northwest of Philadelphia. Skilled master craftsmen from Italy, England, and the United
States were used to construct this 10,000-square-foot mansion, situated on more than 2 acres of beautifully manicured gardens
and lawn. Remaining in the Brownback family until 1962, the mansion was sold and suffered serious neglect over the next 20
years. In 1983 it was purchased by Malcolm and Shirley Shearer, who lovingly restored it to its former grandeur.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Memorial Hall
4231 Avenue of
the Republic, Philadelphia PA 19131
Sunday, June 21, 2009 ~ 2pm
The venue…Originally the art
museum for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, Memorial Hall is the most significant structure remaining from the international
event that took place in Fairmount Park. Recently reborn as the Please Touch Museum, the structure has been meticulously
restored to its former glory after years of neglect.
The event…Our
event began with an illustrated presentation about the Centennial by the museum curator of collections, Stacy Swigart.
This presentation took place in a private room. We then toured the building, with the tour being highlighted by
a stop at the 20 ft. by 30ft Centennial model of the Fairgrounds that was created in 1899. It is now displayed appropriately
for the first time in its history. For all of us who are young at heart, the visit included a ride on the restored 1924
Denzel carousel which served guests at Woodside Park until 1955. The event ended with refreshments and time to visit with
friends both old and new!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Philadelphia
Chapter of the Victorian Society in America
& Powelton Village Civic Association invite you to a walking tour of Powelton Village
Sunday,
April 26, 2009
1:30-4:30 p.m.
3502 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia
Historic Powelton Village welcomed us to visit a select group of Victorian residences. Once home to an astonishingly industrious group
of leading manufacturers, inventors and educators, today it is a multicultural neighborhood on the National Register of Historic
Places.
Powelton
Village takes its name
from the Powel Family, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Welsh colonialists who held extensive estates in the area. As in
other parts of West Philadelphia, in the late 1800s trolley lines opened the area up to urbanization. Powelton soon became
a choice residential spot for Philadelphia industrial tycoons. Powelton's luster began to wane by the 1920s, and by the
1940s the neighborhood was populated by low-income families and infested with gangs.
Today,
an abundance of trees, many of which are historic, along with gardens maintained by many community residents, give the neighborhood
a distinct feel. This aesthetic environment, along with the proximity to retail establishments and nearby universities, has
resulted in a lovely, suburban environment within the city.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The University
Of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives and a
tour of the Fisher Fine Arts Library
Sunday, March 22, 2009@1:30pm
Our tour gave us a glimpse
into the prestigious collections of drawings found in the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Most of the area’s significant Victorian architects were associated with the university and they are well represented
in the archives. Hosted by the collections manager Bill Whitaker, the event featured drawings of Frank
Furness, Frank Miles Day, Wilson Eyre, and others. As collection manager and president of the Society of
Architectural Historians, Bill’s knowledge provided an interesting insight into the works of these men.
The event included a tour of the remarkable
Furness designed library that is home to the archives. Built 1888-1891, this National Historic Landmark
was restored in 1991 and is an architectural treasure! The red brick structure is unlike
any building and showcases the Furness style as well as any surviving examples of his work both outside and inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, February 21, 2009
@ 11:00 am Step back in time and enjoy an old-fashioned ice cream
soda!
“An Outing at the Franklin
Fountain”
Click here for a short news video featuring the Franklin Fountain.
Housed in an old pharmacy
that once had a soda fountain, the Franklin Fountain’s interior is restored to all its old time charm and character, complete
with an original soda fountain from the days of old. The fountain is a long time dream of Ryan and Eric
Berley, two brothers who grew up in Media, Pa. They began to develop their idea to recreate an old time
fountain in 2003 and opened in 2004 after months of menu development, painstaking renovation and installation of a multitude
of authentic and antique touches that make your entry into the fountain feel like a true step back into time.
Historic details include stamped tin ceilings, original mosaic ceramic tile floors and an old fashioned counter.
Smaller details are exhibited in every corner of the room, from a working antique cash register to the belt driven
ceiling fans.
Ryan and
Eric hosted our event with a detailed discussion of the creation of the Franklin Fountain, a history of ice cream parlors
in Philadelphia and the making of ice cream sodas. The brothers also presented a history of "Clear Toy Candy" - a
Pennsylvania-German tradition that dates back to the 18th century when children were gifted the "candy" during the
Christmas holiday season.
Ryan and Eric Berley and the Franklin Fountain have been featured in numerous
newspaper articles from The Philadelphia Inquirer to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
They have been featured in Food & Drink Magazine and voted
“Best in Philly 2006” by Philadelphia Magazine. They
have also appeared on television on The Food Network and with Don Polec’s World of our local Philadelphia Channel 6
News. After the presentation, our mouths were watering as we dug into delicious ice cream dishes or enjoyed one of
their ice cream sodas.
Location:
The
Franklin Fountain ~ 116 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Philadelphia Chapter of The Victorian Society in America
presents
Twelfth Night
Party
January 11, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
(To benefit the Victorian Society Scholarship Fund)
The Annual Twelfth Night Celebration was held at the Inglewood Cottage in Chestnut Hill. This Gothic-Revival villa was designed by mid-19th century architect Thomas Ustick Walter and was one of the first summer “cottages” built in Chestnut Hill. Mr. Walter was responsible
for the design of Girard College and the Greek revival additions to Andalusia on the Delaware River. He was The Architect of the United States Capitol
in Washington, D.C., where he designed the House and Senate wings and its cast
iron dome in the 1850s. In 1900 and 1906, the architectural firm of Kennedy, Hays & Kelsey expanded
the house to its present floor plan. We enjoyed seeing the 2004 restoration which faithfully
returned the home to its former grandeur. The event included a brief recent
history of the home by the present owner, Kari Morton followed a presentation by Alex Humes about Rothenburg ob der Tauber,
a medieval town in Bavaria, Germany. The town is completely walled in and has
several gates leading into the town. All the buildings are late medieval up to the 16th century.
Medieval architecture was the inspiration for the Gothic style during early Victorian period, also known as the Romantic
Age. Following the presentation we enjoyed a catered Victorian Tea and time to explore the house and socialize.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday, November 16, 2008 @ 1:30
pm
The Annual
Meeting of the Chapter took place at the
Samuel
S. Fleisher Art Memorial
719 Catharine Street
Philadelphia,
PA
The Samuel S. Fleisher Art
Memorial is the nation's oldest tuition-free art
school located in Philadelphia, PA. The result of founder
Samuel S. Fleisher's invitation to the world "to come and learn art," this school and gallery has offered tuition-free
classes since 1898. Now administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Fleisher offers regular exhibits of contemporary
art, which are selected through its competitive "Challenge" series, as well as works by faculty and students.
The Memorial consists of four connected buildings on Catharine Street -- including the Sanctuary, a Romanesque Revival Episcopal church designed by the architectural
firm of Frank Furness and featuring European art from the 13th to the 15th centuries.
Our annual meeting highlited the events from the past year, updated members about society business
and provided a preview of future chapter events. In addition, we had our election of Chapter officers. The meeting
is always free to all members. Following the meeting, we had the curator
of the museum provide an introduction of the history of the museum and conducted a tour of the Sanctuary. The event
wrapped up with refreshments and socializing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bus Trip to Mount Tabor, New Jersey
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Mount Tabor was founded as the site where
a camp meeting was held for ten days or so each summer. The camp meeting itself consisted of a heavy schedule
of religious services, prayer meetings, and uplifting lectures. Shortly after its founding in 1869 as the
first permanent camp meeting site in New Jersey, it became evident that the early participants in the community would not
be content to spend only the short period of the camp meeting here. Very quickly Mount Tabor became a summer
resort community with social and cultural activities added to the religious programs. Eventually the summer
tents and cottages became year-round homes. Today, Mount Tabor is a very special community.
It has an historic heritage that is being proudly preserved. It is a community full of good will
and good neighbors.
Upon our arrival in Mount
Tabor, we were greeted by Beth Shaw, the President
of the Mount Tabor Historical Society. She first gave us an overview of the tour and highlights of Trinity Park. After the introduction, we enjoyed a lovely box lunch sponsored by the Society,
followed by our walking tour to view the 26 homes open for tours. In addition to the house tours, we enjoyed musicial
entertainment performed by musicians in period costumes as well as exhibits set up in the Mount Tabor Museum and History House.
