Stenton - The Newsletter

Major Gifts to Support Stenton Educational Programs

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is delighted to announce the largest individual gift in Stenton's history. In October 2006, Jane Seddon Willson, a philanthropist and businesswoman from Albany, Georgia, made a donation of $500,000 to create an endowment for Stenton's educational programs. This fund, to be called the Jane Seddon Willson Stenton Education Endowment, was given in honor of Jane Foster Willson and Arthur S. Willson, and will support Stenton's national award-winning History Hunters Youth Reporter Program and other educational offerings.

Mrs. Willson is president of Sunnyland Farms in Albany, which she and her late husband Harry founded in 1953. The company, which specializes in selling pecans, candy and nuts, is the largest pecan mail order business in the country. Jane Willson graduated from Wellesley College and has always placed a high value on education. The Willsons traveled throughout the world and had a strong interest in international affairs and have especially supported programs at the University of Georgia.

Photo at left: Jane Seddon Willson in center with (from left to right) Capital Campaign Chair Alice Lea Tasman, NSCDA/PA President Sally Congdon, Arthur Willson, and Stenton Chair Jane Foster Willson.

The Willsons gifts have funded scholarships and study abroad programs for students, endowed professorships, assisted arts and humanities programs and supported professors and students working in the areas of international trade and security. UGA's Center for Humanities and Arts was named the Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts in 2005 and Mrs. Willson recently made a major gift for construction of an addition to the Georgia Museum of Art at University of Georgia.

Mrs. Willson was introduced to Stenton by her daughter-in-law, Jane Foster Willson, a member of the Stenton Committee and its current chair. During a visit to Stenton, where she took a tour led by Stenton's Museum Educator, Liz Gavrys, Mrs. Willson was delighted to hear about the History Hunters program and its positive impact on underserved schools in Philadelphia. The subsequent announcement of her gift left all in the Stenton community astounded by the size and generosity of her benefaction.

In December, Stenton's Holiday Tea event took on added meaning as a return visit to Stenton by Mrs. Willson highlighted the day's activities. With over sixty guests present, NSCDA/PA President Sally Congdon recognized her gift with remarks and the presentation of a pair of earrings, copied from original cufflinks excavated from the property. Mrs. Congdon announced this special tribute – only the fourth award of the Logan earrings – as a token of our appreciation and inducted Jane Seddon Willson as, "a permanent part of the Stenton family!"

This benefaction recognizes the hard work not only of Stenton but its partner sites in Germantown - Cliveden of the National Trust, The Johnson House and Wyck – who have done so much to shape the History Hunters program. Stenton Executive Director Stephen Hague said, "For two hours at least four times a year students come to Stenton and our partner sites and seek for and learn about the highest of human potential." Jane Seddon Willson's gift will allow these school children to, "take away important reading, writing and critical thinking skills and have the chance to contemplate big and broad ideas that will profoundly influence their lives."

This gift is unparalleled at Stenton and will greatly aid our efforts to raise additional funds for programming. We honor Jane Seddon Willson for her commitment to learning and her willingness to make Philadelphia a better place.

Second Major Gift to Benefit Stenton

Another extraordinarily welcome announcement came in December 2006, when Philadelphia philanthropist Mrs. Samuel M. V. Hamilton, well known for her many contributions to arts, culture, medicine and other causes in the Delaware Valley, made a gift of $100,000 to the NSCDA/PA's capital campaign. Mrs. Hamilton is Honorary Chair of this effort, which seeks to raise $2.2. million dollars by 2010. This gift will help to benefit Stenton and its educational offerings.

The Hamilton Family Foundation has also generously supported the History Hunters program through several grants in recent years, all of which have made it possible for a larger number of underserved schools to participate in the program. We are tremendously grateful for this outstanding support of our activities.

Pondering the Future of Historic Sites

On November 3-4, 2006, The Philadelphia Museum of Art held a conference Museums and Houses: Rethinking the Uses and Stories of Historic Sites. The conference was the third in a series of three that were designed to help the Art Museum consider issues of interpretation relevant to its collections as it prepares to expand into larger quarters. The topic for 2004 was Fiske Kimball, 2005 was Museum Period Rooms, and 2006 was the historic house symposium, focused around Mt. Pleasant, its recent roof restoration, and the question of how to interpret the site. In light of recent news stories raising the issue of dwindling attendance at American Museums and historic houses, and Colonial Williamsburg's sale of Carter's Grove Plantation, the question of how to appeal to the public looms as an urgent one. Stenton Curator, Laura Keim, served as a panelist in response to the morning lectures.

Photo at right: Stenton Curator Laura Keim (center) with the Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Curator of American Art Kathy Foster (left), and Theresa Stuhlman (right) of the Fairmount Park Commission.

Gardens Restored and Gardens Written

Although summer and gardens seem decidedly distant in the midst of winter, the Stenton garden is never far from our hearts and minds. Last summer saw the renovation of the courtyard lawn behind the mansion, with reseeding of the area by landscaping contractor Ken Mellema of Mellandscaping. Thanks to the generosity of Garden chair Lil Chance, this work has our Colonial Revival garden promising to be a focal point for our activities in 2007.

Following that substantial project by just a few weeks was a tour of garden travel writers. These garden scribes were in Philadelphia for a major garden writer’s conference and spent a day touring some of the outstanding gardens in northwest Philadelphia and lower Montgomery County. A warm summer day was highlighted by tea (iced) and refreshments on the Stenton piazza, and tours through the mansion and gardens. Keep your eyes pealed for articles in garden magazines appearing this spring. And, thinking of spring, remember: it is just around the corner!

Stenton Samplers to Travel to Chicago

The NSCDA/PA owns seven samplers, three of which are in the Stenton collection. This spring, all seven will be loaned to the Clarke House Museum, an NSCDA Museum Property, for an exhibition entitled Stitched Together - Early American Samplers from the Collections of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America and Friends, to be held May 11 through July 7, 2007. The opening will coincide with the American Association of Museums (AAM) conference in Chicago, and there will be two venues, the Clarke House itself and the Chicago Cultural Center. In preparation for their showing, Gina Whelan, a textile conservator who specializes in needlework and who serves as a member of the Stenton Committee has generously donated her services to clean and remount the textiles. Alice Lea Tasman and Hannah Henderson have offered donations toward the costs of reframing those that require it, and Amy Finkel evaluated the samplers helping us to better understand these treasures in our collections.

Photo: left to right, Stenton Curator Laura Keim, Conservator Gina Whelan, and sampler authority Amy Finkel.

Clash of Empires Lecture

Historian Scott Stephenson gave a wonderful lecture on the British, French and Indian war on December 7, 2006. Stephenson, curator of the Heinz History Center's international traveling exhibition on the French and Indian War, spoke of how important the skirmish in western Pennsylvania was to the foundation of what would become the United States. A Philadelphia native, Stephenson, explored this global conflict through original artwork, objects and manuscripts from the period.

The exhibit premiered in May 2005 at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. It then traveled to the Canadian War Museum. If you were unable to visit the exhibit in Pittsburgh or Quebec, we highly recommend that you take the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., where the exhibit will remain at the Smithsonian through March 15, 2007.

At left: The classic period painting "General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of an Indian," by Benjamin West, will be exhibited for the first time in North America courtesy of Derby Art Museums and Gallery, UK as part of "Clash of Empires."

In December 2006, Stenton lost an important member of our community. Storm, a Husky-German Shepherd mix, sadly passed away after living on the property for ten years. He guarded over the property and its staff faithfully, but had a very soft spot in his heart when it came time to carry his favorite toys around, logs larger than him! Storm served Stenton loyally and he will be greatly missed.

Feature article: Archaeological Explorations at Stenton