March 2018 Historic Homes E-Newsletter

DELAWARE EVENTS

On Saturday, March 3, 10:30 a.m., the Delaware Public Archives will celebrate Women’s History month by hosting a presentation titled “Silent Sentinels.” This program, presented by Dr. Cynthia Newton of Wesley College, will focus on women in history who exercised political power before they legally had any political rights. The program is free to the public and will last approximately one hour. No reservations are required. For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@state.de.us. The Archives are located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North, Dover, DE 19901

Here is the First Saturday in the First State complete list of programs for March 3 in Dover:

9:00  a.m.: Biggs Museum of American Art Self-Guided Tours, First State Heritage Park Welcome Center & Galleries, Guided Tours of Legislative Hall, The Fairer Sex: Life as a Woman in the 18th and 19th Centuries, The Road to the Vote, The Women of Victor, 10:00 a.m., Women of The Green Walking Tour and Tours of the Governor's House.

 1:30pm – 4:00pm at the Kent County Courthouse,  "From Cordelia Botkin to Patty Cannon", come to the Kent County Courthouse at 38 The Green to learn of some of the most lethal women in Delaware history. Femme Fatale: Delaware’s Female Murderers. 

Another March 3 program will be World War I and America Writing Workshop from 1-3 p.m. at the Delaware HIstory Museum at 504 N. Market in Wilmington. Free, reservations requested - click here to reserve.

On Saturday, March 10 from 10-11 a.m. the Quaker Hill Historic Preservtion Foundation at 4th and West Streets in Wilmington  will celebrate National Harriet Tubman Day with a proclamation from Mayor Purzycki and a lecture plus children't activities. This will be followed by a Folk Art and Freedom Workshop at Tubman-Garret Park by the Amtrak Station at 11:30, and a program at the Delaware History Museum at 504 N. Market about the Underground Railroad at 1:30 p.m.

Winterthur Lectures and Events:

Saturday, March 10 is Bank to Bend day from 10-3 p.m. Celebrate the early bulb display of the March Bank with a lecture, garden tour, and special sale of rare and unusual plants. This year's featured speaker is Peter Zale, curator and plant breeder at Longwood Gardens. Dr. Zale will share his personal and professional interest in snowdrops and other choice early bulbs, while highlighting Longwood's expanding use of these exotic plants. Lecture is at 11:00 am and is $10 per Member; $20 per nonmember; and free for Winterthur Garden and Landscape Society and Garden Associate Members. Registration required. Garden tour and sale are free to Members and included with general admission.

Winterthur presents "Saying 'I Do' at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" . Carrying off the perfect wedding when the guest list includes family and friends is enough of a challenge. What happens when the whole world is watching? Join author Coleen Christian Burke for a look at weddings of First Family members. Sunday, March 25. 1:00–2:00 pm, Copeland Lecture Hall.

Also,"Ardrossan: The Last Great Estate on the Philadelphia Main Line" on Tuesday, March 27 at 6:00 pm, Copeland Lecture Hall. Join author David Wren for a discussion on his 2017 book which presents a detailed history of the splendor of an American country estate. Philadelphia’s Main Line home, Ardrossan, and the Montgomery family who built it, are perhaps best known as the family on which Philip Barry based his 1939 play, which later became a Hollywood film, The Philadelphia Story. This Winterthur program is a must see for American architecture and social history enthusiasts, and for all who enjoy a glimpse into another time and way of life. Buy tickets online or call 800.448.3883. Members $10. Nonmembers $15. Member ticket presale starts March 1.

PENNSYLVANIA EVENTS

Chester County's Women of Iron will be presented by Dan Graham March 1 at the National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum at 50 S. 1st Ave. in Coatesville from 6-8 p.m. Cost:$5, free for members.

The 36th Annual Chester County Antiques and Art Show will be held from March 9-11 at the Church Farm School, 1001 E. Lincoln Hwy. in Exton. It will benefit the Chester County Historical Society. Fee is $15 for regular admission. Another event, a free lecture by the CCHS will be held on Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m., "Canada/British North America, Union and Confederate Postal Cross-Border Correspondence during the Civil War", a philatelic lecture with Ron Majors

The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Philadelphia Piers 122 & 124. In this visual presentation, Gregory Vlassopoulos will explore the PRR’s transloading facilities in South Philadelphia’s Greenwich Yards, specifically, ore handling facilities at Pier 122 and coal export operations at Pier 124. The future state of these former PRR piers will be discussed, as will be Greenwich Yards overall- from birth to death to rebirth. It should be noted that much of Broad Street Station and the Chinese Wall, when demolished about 1953, wound up under Piers 122 and 124. Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 6:15 pm. at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive. Park on the circle near the Philadelphia Art Museum River front.  Cost: $10 for registered guests, $15 otherwise. To register, email names and emails of members and guests to reesepdavis@gmail.com. (Michael Froio photo) 

Curious about historic homes that may be on the market right now in the Middletown and Odessa areas? Check out this list.

Questions about selling or buying an older or historic property in Delaware or Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania? Contact Carolyn Roland, Your Older and Historic Homes Resource.