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FALL 2001
Philadelphia
Antiques Show host "This Glorious House STENTON" exhibition
in 2002
As announced
in the last newsletter, the NSCDA/PA and Stenton will be the featured
Loan Exhibition for the 2002 Philadelphia
Antiques Show. The exhibition, "This Glorious House STENTON", will
be the centerpiece of the Antiques Show, which draws thousands of collectors
to Philadelphia each year. The Philadelphia Antiques Show is in its
41st year and is recognized as the finest American antiques and decorative
arts show in the country. It offers a unique opportunity for Stenton
to highlight its outstanding architecture and collections.
Although
the Antiques Show itself underwrites much of the Loan Exhibition, there
are numerous costs involved with producing such a high profile display,
especially for a small site like Stenton. A most welcome piece of news
has been the generous contribution of $15,000 from the Richard C.
von Hess Foundation to assist with the costs of producing the Loan
Exhibition. We are also grateful to other Stenton supporters who have
generously donated their time and money to make this special event a
reat success.
The exhibition
will include a choice selection of Stenton's finest Logan pieces. Objects
from other distinguished institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum
of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and from private collections
will also be on display. "This Glorious House STENTON" will
introduce two special Logan objects a recent bequest to Stenton
and we hope that Friends of Stenton will visit the Show to see their
official public unveiling.
Stenton's Antiques
Show committee, headed by Meade Jones and Nina Schaefer with NSCDA/PA
President Sue Armstrong as Honorary Chairman, has been hard at work
coordinating various activities with the Antiques Show organizers. SMRD
Theatricals of Benton, Pennsylvania, veteran designers of Philadelphia
Flower Show displays, will create the exhibit. Although it is a challenge
to convey the sense of a house museum in an exhibition of this sort,
the designers intend to develop a striking backdrop for the objects
that will delight visitors to the Show. Stenton Curator Laura Stutman,
who is also serving as Curator for the exhibition, has been working
with the Collections Committee of Nora Wetherill and Margaret Richardson
to choose appropriate objects for the exhibition, and other Committee
members have been exploring issues such as insurance, transportation,
publicity and funding. This summer photographer Will Brown spent three
days on-site photographing objects and rooms for the exhibition, providing
a range of new images for the wave of publicity associated with the
show.
The Loan Exhibition
is an unparalleled opportunity to promote the treasures of Stenton.
Stenton has already received numerous requests for tours and many visitors
to the Antiques Show will take in the dealer's booths and Loan Exhibition
and then travel to Germantown to see James Logan's mansion itself. Because
of the increase in activity, we are looking actively for volunteers;
anyone interested in the helping with the Antiques Show events should
contact Stenton. Please mark you calendars for the Philadelphia Antiques
Show April 6 - 10, 2002 with a Preview Party on Friday evening April
5th. And come help us celebrate "This Glorious House!"
At
left: Stenton
curator Laura Stutman exhibits John Smith's pocketbook, made in 1744
by Hannah Logan, to a tour group from the Philadelphia Antiques Show.
This special tour was organized by Sotheby's to generate support and
enthusiasm for Stenton and the Antiques Show.
Calling All Volunteers!
As Stenton gears up for the Antiques Show and expands its educational
programs, we are more than ever in need of volunteers to assist with
a range of activities! This is a great chance to learn about Stenton,
talk to people about its interesting history, work with lively school
age visitors, or help to catalogue and care for our collections. Anyone
interested please phone us: 215-329-7312.
PHMC Supports Furnishings
Plan
Thanks to a generous $5,000
grant from the Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission, Stenton has recently completed a Furnishings
History of the site. The Furnishings History, which documents the furnishing
of the mansion since 1900 and how historic houses change as ideas about
history change, is an important contribution tracing how Stenton has
been interpreted to visitors. The outcome of this project has been a
written furnishings history that will enable a more meaningful public
presentation of the historic site and serve as a basis for making future
furnishing decisions.
Although the project was
initially conceived as an opportunity to complete a Furnishings Plan,
the initial stage of such a plan was to trace how Stenton had been furnished
as an historic house museum over the last 100 years, and to trace the
provenance of the objects in the collection. This was in an effort to
understand crucial decisions taken during Stenton's long tenure as a
house museum as to why the house should be arranged in a certain way.
Laura Keim Stutman, a specialist in 18th-century decorative arts and
history, served as the project consultant. She undertook extensive research
into the Stenton collections and related material in order to compile
a history of how Stenton has been furnished. Her research work included
review of relevant Logan papers, as well as institutional archives related
to the furnishing of the Stenton Mansion as an historic house museum.
Important sources were the Stenton collections files, collections database
and Stenton Committee minutes, which yielded considerable information
about why certain objects were collected.
The plan offers recommendations
about how the site might be most successfully interpreted to a wider
public in the future and will help to guide Stenton's efforts to revise
an enhance its interpretation.
New Brochure
Not
to neglect good old fashioned print media, we have produced a new full
color tri-fold brochure. We are especially delighted to have received
corporate sponsorship for the brochure from Chubb
Group of Insurance Companies. Chubb, a leading insurer of fine arts
and museums in the United States, has agreed to fund the production
of the new brochure in full, which will allow us to produce a high-quality
product that will serve Stenton well for several years. With the many
significant events taking place in 2002, this brochure is a timely addition
to our public relations materials, and will be distributed throughout
the region at other historic sites, Convention & Visitor's Bureaus,
and the new Independence Visitor's Center. The NSCDA/PA wishes to warmly
thank Chubb for its support of this project.
Logan Family
Reunion June 22, 2002
Logan descendants, please
mark the date of June 22, 2002 in your calendars for a Logan Family
Reunion at Stenton. After the success of the gathering during Stenton's
centennial year, we thought it would be a good idea to once again invite
the Logan family to visit Stenton for a special celebration. Further
information will be forthcoming soon, but please hold that date!
Educational Program supported
by the Philadelphia Foundation
Stenton was delighted to
receive word in June of a $7,500 grant from The
Philadelphia Foundation to support its new educational program.
Announcement of the grant was made by R. Andrew Swinney, President of
the Foundation, whose Board of Managers approved the grant on June 15,
2001.
The funds will help to support
the position of Educational Coordinator, a key role in encouraging school
age visitors to the site. Stenton's educational program, "James Logan:
Keeper of Penn's Woods," is designed to teach school age visitors about
colonial life in Pennsylvania through tours of the mansion, kitchen,
privy and barn. Students also undertake several hands-on activities,
including a book-making workshop and identification of agricultural
tools. The program emphasizes the varied nature of colonial life, from
elegant furnishings in a large house to long days cooking in a hot kitchen.
The Philadelphia Foundation
manages nearly 400 charitable funds that have been established since
1918 by people who want to help others. Distributions from these funds
support hundreds of cultural, educational, and humanitarian programs
in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The NSCDA/PA and Stenton are extremely
grateful to the Philadelphia Foundation for its support.
Battle of Germantown
Day - 225 Anniversary
Although many people associate
the Battle of Germantown with our fellow Germantown historic site Cliveden,
Stenton too played an important role. On October 6, 2001, Stenton joined
with Cliveden and four other Germantown historic sites to offer an expanded
Battle of Germantown re-enactment.
The
Battle, which took place on 4th October 1777, was a central event in
the campaign for Philadelphia. In the days immediately preceding the
battle, Stenton served as headquarters for General Sir William Howe,
commander of the British troops occupying Philadelphia. The house, still
one of the most distinguished in Philadelphia by the time of the Revolution,
seemed an apt choice for General Sir William. Hosting a re-enactor portraying
Lieutenant Robert McGillvery of the 42nd Highlanders, seconded to the
40th Regiment of Foot, Stenton became for a day not a Quaker country
estate but a military headquarters. Lt McGillvery answered questions
about the battle and explained what life was like in the British Army
in North America.
Next year marks the 225th
Anniversary of the Philadelphia Campaign, when British and Continental
troops fought in and around Philadelphia, and General Washington led
his army to the famous encampment at Valley Forge. In preparation for
this important anniversary, numerous historic sites and regional convention
and visitor¹s bureaus have been working to organize a full range of
events to invite, intrigue and interest visitors to Philadelphia. This
series of events is being organized to address the theme Patriots or
Traitors: The 225th Anniversary of the Struggle for Philadelphia. This
theme sums up the divided feelings of the Philadelphia populace about
the idea of American independence. The Logan family was not immune to
this ideological and emotional turmoil, with members of the family voicing
a range of opinions over the course of the struggle.
The 225th Anniversary Battle
of Germantown reenactment will be a significant part of the year-long
celebration and Stenton will again open its doors for the battle. Although
those doors never repelled cannon balls and musket fire like Cliveden,
the important contribution of Stenton will be remembered again in 2002.
New Site Managers
After nearly four years
serving as Site Managers Scott Wagner and Claire Constantikes left Stenton
in June. We were however fortunate to find new Site Managers almost
immediately and we are pleased to welcome David and Melissa Sanchez.
David is a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside and
Melissa teaches math and history to 6th through 8th grader at Timothy
Academy in North Philadelphia. They have worked hard over the summer
to tidy up the garden and grounds, and also helped with several summer
programs. The NSCDA/PA extends a fond farewell to Scott and Claire and
a warm welcome to David and Melissa.
Insert for Fall 2001 Newsletter - Research Article - Stenton's
Cultural Landscape Part 1
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