The Plumbing Works!
Although Stenton has been called the "most authentic of all Philadelphia's historic houses" we do make some compromises for the 21st century. First among these are running water, indoor toilets and plumbing in our wing. When, several months ago, our system began showing signs of trouble we wondered if it was a temporary problem or something more lasting and challenging. As the problem worsened we shuddered at the prospect of a serious plumbing problem, as they are never pretty.
After numerous emergency visits to deal with plumbing issues, the City of Philadelphia decided to investigate the problem more thoroughly. A back hoe and plumbing team appeared one grey April morning and, as rain began to fall, digging began. Contrary to popular belief, which held that the sewer lines from the Stenton wing ran out to North 18th Street, they in fact run parallel to the Service Wing on the west side, to a sewer main in Stenton Park, immediately next to the site.
As anticipated, the ancient terra cotta pipe had broken in one place and over the course of time had settled, creating a most unpleasant blockage. After several days of hard work the City plumbers had replaced a lengthy section of pipe and our waste system was back to operating at peak efficiency. Although some landscape repairs remain, we are delighted with this dramatic improvement. Many thanks to the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Recreation for undertaking this major project!
Shaping Franklin electrifies Stenton visitors
Throughout the 2006 calendar year Stenton's programs and events have honored the 300th birthday of Benjamin Franklin. Audience and program topics varied, to include slavery in Philadelphia, Logan's library at Stenton, an appraisal day, and family fun with book making, paper marbling and magic squares. We have been particularly delighted to have Bill Ochester, Franklin interpreter, at Stenton on a number of occasions, including for our Ben and His Books program. Our final public program, Mr. Franklin Comes to Call, was in June for which we had a marvelous turnout. The day was full of bubble experiments, printing demonstrations, farm animals, extravagant guests (Ben Franklin and Stenton's famous housekeeper Dinah) along with colonial foodways programs. Fun was had by children and adults alike who came out to participate in the "electrifying" afternoon. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all of our contributors who made our varied programs and Shaping Franklin exhibit possible, especially the Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The citywide celebration is winding down and Stenton has only a few Franklin events remaining. Our Shaping Franklin tour and exhibit will continue through December 16, 2006. If you have not already come to see this wonderful exhibition, please plan to attend one of our autumn special events, or just stop by to see the house that Franklin visited so often.
Garden grant from PCGCA
Stenton has been delighted to receive a grant of $2500 from the Philadelphia Committee of the Garden Club of America. This grant will be used to fund the extension of our water lines and irrigation equipment to the c.1911 Colonial Revival garden at Stenton. The project, overseen by Garden Chair Lil Chance, should be completed by autumn and will be a great help in efforts to restore this important garden, where the first meeting of the Garden Club of America took place in 1913.
Focus on Hats
This year's Stenton Garden Party could have had an Irving Berlin song written about it (think In your Easter Bonnet), with the first of what we hope will be an Annual Raffle of Party Hats entertaining and amusing a full house of Garden Party guests. The brainchild of Stenton Chair, Jane Foster-Willson, the hats ranged from creations by several History Hunters classes to Hughes Cauffman's striking crab-adorned chapeau. The raffle raised several hundred dollars for the Stenton coffers and few will forget the sight of Lee Mananion wandering around banging a big pot with a wooden spoon drumming up business for raffle ticket sales. Nancy and Abby Siedlarz again organized a delicious spread of hors d'oeuvres, and attendees enjoyed tours of the mansion, good drink and cheer, as well as the Germantown Country Dancers. The Garden Party took place under the threat of rain, although the first raindrop did not fall until precisely 7 p.m., just as the party ended. It was a pleasure to see one and all out in support of our historic treasure.
New Sign for Stenton
Visitors to Stenton have been welcomed by a new sign at the corner of North 18th Street and Windrim Avenue. The previous sign, which had been up for some years, was beginning to show signs of its age. The new one, slightly larger and looking very handsome, was generously funded by Past NSCDA/PA President Alice Lea Mast Tasman. It is an attractive and visible way-finder and a significant addition that raises our public profile.
History Hunters Expands to a Summer Camp
This August, Stenton worked with its Germantown partners to add a summer camp component to the national award-winning History Hunters Youth Reporter Program. During the week-long camp, the children took trips to five sites in order to explore the neighborhood and the rich diversity that Germantown and Philadelphia has to offer, including the extraordinary archaeological collection at Independence National Historic Park. Campers learned about cross cultural communication, the only military battle fought within the borders of Philadelphia and its affect on civilians, and farm life along Germantown Avenue. They pieced together the stories of the past by taking on the role of archeologist, created paper at the site of America's first paper mill and experienced the struggle for freedom through the Underground Railroad. Campers crafted, sang songs, planted vegetables and dug for materials from the past, all in order to "make history come alive."
We were able to offer the History Hunters Reporter Camp free of charge to children living in Historic Northwest Philadelphia through generous grants from the First United Methodist Church of Germantown and the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
All for One and One for All: The HGP Collaboration Project
Historic Germantown Preserved (HGP), the consortium of sites in Germantown of which Stenton is a member, has worked for many years on collaborative opportunities. The group has organized specific projects; its recent successful collaborative efforts, including the History Hunters educational program, "Story Tours" and the Battle of Germantown/Revolutionary Germantown Festival, have pointed the way toward enhanced collaboration. These efforts have encouraged participating sites to understand and explore the benefits of working together closely. The whole, as the saying goes, is greater than the sum of the parts.
Stenton and the NSCDA/PA have been actively involved in discussions about how we can all work together more effectively. The potential benefits for HGP sites are considerable. As an example, History Hunters, led by Stenton, has not only provided outstanding educational opportunities to thousands of schoolchildren but has also demonstrated how successful a well-integrated curriculum, coordinated scheduling and cross-trained guides can be.
During the first half of 2006, all the HGP sites undertook an Organizational Assessment. The resulting report was considered at an "HGP Summit" in June 2006 that recommended undertaking an Action Plan project leading to enhanced collaboration. That Action Plan is currently being developed and will be a focus for discussion in the autumn. The HGP sites have broadly agreed that their organizations are likely or possibly prepared to undertake a number of the initiatives such as:
- Rationalized open hours
- Joint ticketing
- Better coordinated special events and public programs
- A joint calendar
- Centralized marketing for Historic Germantown
- Some shared staffing services
- Centralized point of contact for scheduling (group tours, school groups)
This process makes sense, and may allow all the sites in Germantown to attract more visitors and serve their visitors better. It can enhance our contribution to the community, and help us to generate the support that can preserve our buildings and collections. This important project will benefit all HGP member sites, creating the opportunity to pool resources and allowing historic house museums like Stenton to take a more active role in community development.
Student Researchers at Stenton
Active study has always been a compelling feature of Stenton's scholarly life. In the late 1960s Ray Shepherd's Winterthur thesis on Stenton and his analysis of the Logan inventories and accounts from a historical and decorative arts perspective created a source that is essential reading for the scholar of Stenton. Barbara Jones' University of Delaware thesis on Deborah Logan, which used Deborah's diaries as its primary source, is another important touchstone for a reader seeking to know more about Deborah and the Stenton of her time. And, the Stenton Historic Structures Report by Reed Engle is chock a block full of information about the design, construction and use of Stenton.
Over the last year, Stenton has been the beneficiary of several students’ research. Debbie Miller, a Master's student at Penn State Harrisburg, is studying the archeological collection at Stenton, focusing on those artifacts recovered in 1982 by the late archeologist, Barbara Liggett. Experienced in cataloging and interpreting artifacts from her work at Flowerdew Hundred on the James River in Virginia, Debbie's plan is to write the final report that was never written for Stenton, reconstructing the in-ground context for our objects using the numbers on the artifacts themselves and the memos and notes we do have in our archives. Debbie learned about Stenton from Dr. George Boudreau, her professor, who brings his classes to Stenton each year.
NSCDA/PA member Ann Gregg is completing documentation of the Basement, including measured drawings, as part of fulfilling her architectural registration requirements. Going along with this, Jenna Higgins, a Master's student in the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Pennsylvania, is investigating the Stenton basement for her thesis. She plans to mine the Logan papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in search of information about the food stuffs that would have been stored in the Stenton basement and hopes to include an interpretation of the paved dairy space in her project. All of these projects are greatly expanding our thinking about service spaces at Stenton, how they were arranged and who used them.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
The Noel Coward ditty about “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” came to mind as honored guests Cory and Kate Luxmoore, Logan descendants from England, came to the USA for the Garden Party. Arriving several days prior to the event, the Luxmoores pitched in to help with some of the gardening at the old Logan homestead, only to find themselves involved in the effort to capture a stray dog that had entered the Stenton grounds. The pernicious poodle, running hither and yon pursued by Stenton Site Manager, Laureen Griffin aided by Cory and Kate, gave good chase before finally being rounded up and escorted off the property.
Feature article: Inside the Auction: Stenton's Effort to Acquire Two Lost Logan Chairs
