NEWTOWN SQUARE HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER: December 2018 DECEMBER 2018 REMEMBERING HOBEY BAKER. Wednesday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m.

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DECEMBER 2018 REMEMBERING HOBEY BAKER Wednesday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m. NOTE NEW LOCATION IN 2018-19!

1 DECEMBER 2018 REMEMBERING HOBEY BAKER Wednesday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m. NOTE NEW LOCATION IN !!! The Newtown Square Historical Society invites you to our monthly history program on Wednesday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m. at a NEW LOCATION, the Newtown Township Building, to hear Society member Doug Humes speak on the life and death of Hobey Baker. Hobey Baker was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, mentioned in the same breath as Jim Thorpe. He is the only athlete every inducted into both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. And yet unless you follow collegiate ice hockey, you likely have never heard of him. He enlisted in World War I, went off to fight, survived the war but in a shocking irony, was then killed with his orders to return home still in his pocket. Now, honoring the 100th anniversary of his death, local historian Doug Humes will speak on his life, his career and his death that day in France. Baker was raised in Philadelphia, and is buried in the area. The program will be a memorial for a life and a man who should be better remembered. Take a break from Christmas shopping and come hear about this fascinating life. New location: Our program s this year will be held at the Newtown Township Building, 209 Bishop Hollow Rd, Newtown Square, PA beginning at 7:00 p.m. Parking on-site. Admission is free. Refreshments are served. Come out and meet your history minded neighbors and learn and be entertained! 1

2 NOTES FROM THE PRESIDENT planning, setup, and cleanup. It was the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house a tough night to draw a crowd and yet we had a dozen souls who came out to hear local historian Tony Selletti speak on Armistice Day 100 years later. This Wednesday s program is another 100th anniversary a sad one, but a great local interest story that Doug Humes came across in a local cemetery. Come hear him speak on the life and death of the last man to die in World War I, Hobey Baker. On December 1st, the first Saturday in December, we hosted our annual Wassail Party at the Paper Mill House and Museum. We saw old friends and a number of new faces, and the Paper Mill House looked great. Thanks to all of our board members and volunteers who helped with Over the last two Saturdays, we also opened up the Square Tavern from 1-4:00 p.m., with hot cider, baked goods, live Christmas music, and guided tours, and had a lot of drop-in visitors, including West family descendants. We are surprised at the number of people who say I ve driven by this building for years and have never been inside. We need to work harder as an organization to spread the word that the Father of American Painting began to learn his craft here, in Newtown Square, where his father was the innkeeper. Visitors are also surprised to learn that the Society does not own the Tavern. In light of the success of these December openings, we are developing plans to open the Tavern more in Thanks to our volunteers who took time from their holiday schedules to staff the site: Kathy Luskus, Cathy Cavalier-Gash, Nancy Falcone, and Terry Jones. Remember, we are here for our members, and while we appreciate the annual dues, we are more interested in having you attending and supporting our events, volunteering to contribute to what we do each year, and suggesting other activities they would like to see. Our mission is preservation, and one of the things we seek to preserve is a sense of community where people are invested and contribute back to make it a better place to live and raise their families. That is the Newtown Square where I grew up, and I am proud to be part of a group that seeks to pay this forward. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season! John Battista 2

NEXT MEMBERS ONLY EVENT! HOLD THE DATE! Sunday, May 19, 2019 4:00 6:00 p.m. Private Tour of Historic Duportail House In 1740, a Welsh Quaker named John Havard, Jr.

During the Continental Army s encampment at Valley Forge in 1777-78, the Havard family played host to a guest from France, General Louis Lebègue Duportail.

3 NEXT MEMBERS ONLY EVENT! HOLD THE DATE! Sunday, May 19, :00 6:00 p.m. Private Tour of Historic Duportail House In 1740, a Welsh Quaker named John Havard, Jr. built a stone farmhouse on a large William Penn land grant, amid the fertile fields of Chester County s Great Valley near Valley Forge. During the Continental Army s encampment at Valley Forge in , the Havard family played host to a guest from France, General Louis Lebègue Duportail. Recruited by Benjamin Franklin, Duportail served as the army s Chief Engineer, designing fortifications at Valley Forge that could enable Washington s troops to hold off a potential attack by the British army, which was encamped in nearby Philadelphia. The house still stands (inside the Chesterbrook community), and is now preserved and cared for by the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust. They have invited our Society members to join them on Sunday, May 19 from 4 6 PM to tour their sites. A Colonial costumed Mrs. Duportail will give a tour of the buildings, including the Duportail House, and the Jones Log Barn rebuilding project followed by a reception with their board members. We will be sending out reminders with sign up information closer to the date. But please hold the date life fills up quickly in the spring. 3

GOING, GOING And soon to be gone: the Melmark Mansion The handsome, 35-room French chateau-style mansion with 20 acres of landscaped land and a swimming pool on Wayland Road was built around 1910 by

4 GOING, GOING And soon to be gone: the Melmark Mansion The handsome, 35-room French chateau-style mansion with 20 acres of landscaped land and a swimming pool on Wayland Road was built around 1910 by Philadelphia banker Charlton Yarnall as his country estate. The Yarnall farm extended from Goshen Road, near the Covered Bridge, to White Horse Road. The rear entrance was just across from the covered bridge and there was a mill near that entrance that Mr. Yarnall used in providing electricity for his estate. In June 1966 the home was sold to Paul and Mildred Krentel, who turned it from a private home to the Melmark Home. Melmark is a comprehensive multi-service agency, providing residential, educational and therapeutic services for children and adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, brain injuries and other neurological and genetic diagnoses. Melmark officials came to our last board meeting to discuss their plans to demolish the building, and replace it with a new structure that better accommodates the needs of their children and their mission. They told us that they had explored various options for saving and re-purposing the building, but for a variety of reasons, the best plan for them was to replace this building with a modern one that is built expressly for their purposes. We are grateful to them for seeking us out to explain their decision. Preservation is a hard sell when you are talking about someone else s building, and someone else s vision of their future. Melmark does important work and has been a valued member of our community for over 50 years. In this case, their needs trump ours. But of course we are saddened to lose another piece of old Newtown Square. 4

SCAVENGER HUNT! There are over 80 historic societies, house museums and other organizations that are committed to preserving a particular part of the history of Delaware County.

There is also a volunteer group, the Delaware County Historic and Preservation Network, that runs a mailing list and Facebook page to connect all of these organizations together to share ideas of

It s history reaches back into the 1880 s, and it remained in operation as a knitting mill until the 1990 s.

The roofs have been left to fail, an once they do, the water pours in and weakens the structure, and it starts falling down.

5 SCAVENGER HUNT! There are over 80 historic societies, house museums and other organizations that are committed to preserving a particular part of the history of Delaware County. The County itself has a preservation department in their Planning Office, and they are a great source of knowledge on the world of historic preservation. There is also a volunteer group, the Delaware County Historic and Preservation Network, that runs a mailing list and Facebook page to connect all of these organizations together to share ideas of common concern. And so sometimes, when the call goes out, we are in a position to hear it and respond. Case in point: the Clifton Mills complex in Clifton Heights. It s history reaches back into the 1880 s, and it remained in operation as a knitting mill until the 1990 s. The various buildings have sat vacant since that time, and have been routinely vandalized and stripped of anything of value. The roofs have been left to fail, an once they do, the water pours in and weakens the structure, and it starts falling down. And then there comes a point where it is too late to save these wonderful old buildings. That sad story has repeated itself in Clifton Heights, and the mill complex is going to be demolished. But before it goes, we asked the owner whether we could go through the buildings and see if there was anything of value that we might want to salvage. We run a museum that tells about our mill history including a textile mill along Darby Creek, and so we went in looking for any surviving artifacts that could help us tell our story. Clifton was picked pretty clean but still there were some bobbins, a bobbin rack, some old bound journals and a hand cart, that all could give period character to our mill display. And so our Paper Mill House caretaker, Vince Gutierrez, is going to try to round up a truck to be able to perhaps rescue some of these items before the wrecking ball falls next year. This is hands-on preservation! Thanks to Vince for all he does for us. 5

IF YOU NEED A RESOLUTION FOR THE NEW YEAR GET INVOLVED! We have a roster of volunteers who we call on when we need extra help.

They are doing the work that 25 years ago was being shared by upwards of 20 or more active board members.

participate in the same way as in the past.

This is not just a problem for the Historical Society, but for the whole range of volunteer organizations in the community, many of which

You gain experience in a field where you have an interest and/or skills and experience.

6 IF YOU NEED A RESOLUTION FOR THE NEW YEAR GET INVOLVED! We have a roster of volunteers who we call on when we need extra help. But the main work of the Society is currently being done by about 8 board members who also serve in various offices of the organization. They are doing the work that 25 years ago was being shared by upwards of 20 or more active board members. Since that time, the Greatest Generation has retired, passing that torch to the next generations but those next generations do not participate in the same way as in the past. People are busy, with many other activities to draw them in, and are not as engaged in their communities as they once were. This is not just a problem for the Historical Society, but for the whole range of volunteer organizations in the community, many of which have fallen by the wayside. Serving in a volunteer capacity is a win/win proposition. You gain experience in a field where you have an interest and/or skills and experience. Or you can acquire experience and build your resume by volunteering in a position where you might lack experience. As a board member, you work face to face with others, in a world where we are losing that kind of personal interaction with others. You are also giving back to your community when you volunteer. On our side, we get the energy and experience and skills that you bring to our Society. 6

7 Here are our current positions, each of which you can volunteer to help with as an assistant to the current occupant, with the promise that when you are ready, the position can be yours: The elected offices of the board include the following: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary The committee chairs of the board include the following: Guides: recruit and train volunteers for Society events and tours Heritage Day: plan and manage events and fundraising activities related to annual event Membership: maintain data base of m em bership and suggest and plan new member activities Website/Social Media: maintain website and propose new features; administer e mail mailing list Gift Shop: maintain inventory and manage sales of gift shop items; propose new merchandise Buildings and Grounds: help with ongoing maintenance of Paper Mill House and Museum building and grounds Ways and Means: fundraising and management of capital campaign and projects Curator: manage Paper Mill House and Museum displays and inventory; propose new displays and projects Newsletter: write, edit, print and distribute Society newsletter Programs: plan, reserve and coordinate monthly public programs on historical topics Publicity: maintain and update contact lists and write and distribute publicity on Society events More information: We meet once a month as a board, on the first Wednesday night of each month, at the Dunwoody board room. The meetings typically last from 1-2 hours. We each have busy lives, but we each make time to do the work that needs to be done for the organization. If you think you might be interested, you are welcome to come and attend a few board meetings, no strings attached. Sit in and see whether we might have something that interests you. Introduce yourself at one of our events. We would love to have you contribute your time and talents. 7

In earlier days, milk was transported in 40-quart cans to the end of the lane to be picked up by truck. We cooled it first in the milkhouse.

8 A RECENT ACQUISITION The DuPont farm had a variety of farm operations in the 20th century. One of those operations was the Liseter Farm Dairy. From the History of Newtown Township book: There has been an extensive dairy business at Liseter, from the earliest days with the herd, largely Holstein, which Mrs. du Pont later changed to Guernsey. In earlier days, milk was transported in 40-quart cans to the end of the lane to be picked up by truck. We cooled it first in the milkhouse. Now the purchasers come right to the barn and take it in a tank truck. We have had up to 70 milking cows. We recently saw this milk can, imprinted with the Liseter Farm name, and were able buy it to add to our museum collection. HISTORY ARTICLES ONLINE There were no silent nights in Newtown in December of 1777 So begins our latest article in the new community publication, Newtown Square Friends and Neighbors. You should all receive the print version, but if you don t, you can find it online here: And of course we also have quite a collection of local history articles available at our website. Go here to check them out: newtown-square-history/blogs-and-stories/ Copyright 2018 Newtown Square Historical Society. All rights reserved. P.O. Box 3, Newtown Square, PA info@historicnewtownsquare.org Manage your membership at: 8

HAUNTING ON AVENDALE ROAD HAL AMES

HAUNTING ON AVENDALE ROAD HAL AMES It was August of 1979 when the police raided the house over on Avendale Road. What had been going on there had been happening for a very long time. Many of the people