Events

7 PM  Reception, 7:30 PM Lecture People may know the well-known camp meetings and Chautauquas - Oak Bluff, MA, Ocean Grove, NJ and Chautauqua NY. But did you know there are several in Southeast Pa? And that most share a communal plan around a central green and meeting hall, surrounded by cabins that were often originally tents? Many camp meetings were started by the Methodists in the mid-19th century, such as Con-cord and Chester Heights Camp Meetings in Delaware County. Perkasie Camp Meeting, in Bucks Co. was non-denominational. Mt. Gretna, near Hershey, started as a Chautauqua; a camp meeting was then […]

7 PM  Reception, 7:30 PM Lecture This presentation highlights details from a study examining African American participation during the Valley Forge encampment of 1777 to 1778. Justin B. Clement brings their stories to life by sharing research from a Historic Resource Study funded by the National Park Service and facilitated through a cooperative agreement with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). For ticket purchase using Paypal/credit card, see below. How Many? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 @ $20 each +$1 handling

William L. Price was one of an influential group of architects working during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Philadelphia. Aside from his importance in the area of design based on Arts and Crafts Movement ideals, Price was one of the founders of an arts and crafts community, Rose Valley, outside of Philadelphia. In the decade that began with the design of Woodmont and ended with Yorklynne, William Price transitioned from a designer of suburban developer homes, notably in Wayne and Germantown, to an architect of mansions. The program will focus on the large houses of the decade, including […]

Jefferson’s Daughters by Catherine Kerrison is the remarkable untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s three daughters — two white and free, one black and enslaved — and the divergent paths they forged in a newly independent America. Thomas Jefferson had three daughters: Martha and Maria by his wife, Martha Wayles Jefferson, and Harriet by his slave Sally Hemings. Kerrison recounts the remarkable journey of these three women — and how their struggle to define themselves reflects both the possibilities and the limitations that resulted from the American Revolution. After the talk, Dr. Kerrison will sign copies of “Jefferson’s Daughters” which will be […]

In 2003, Doug Humes began leasing space for his law office in an old Bryn Mawr mansion.  His curiosity about the original owners, the Jacobs, sent him on a quest to find their story, and over the years he collected photos, genealogy, and stories on the family, and finally the Holy Grail was delivered to his office – a two volume set of wedding photos from the 1938 wedding of daughter Louise Jacobs to dashing pilot Hubbard Phelps.  Humes took the photos and added music to create a wedding video.  He will give an introduction to the Jacobs family, followed by […]

Philadelphia’s grand mansions and architectural treasures reflect its iconic status in American history, for each Greek Revival home and Corinthian column tells a compelling story of the people behind it. Historic Strawberry Mansion in North Philadelphia was home to Judge William Lewis, a Patriot who defended colonists accused of treason and was Aaron Burr’s defense lawyer. Socialite, millionaire and world-renowned art collector Henry McIlhenny made his home at Rittenhouse Square and left his art collection to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Famed architect Addison Mizner’s Spanish Colonial Revival house La Ronda brought the stark contrast of South Florida to Philadelphia. Author […]

The King of Prussia Inn (c. 1756), “The Sign of the King” welcomed visitors for almost 200 years, and may have been the source for the town receiving its name.  A day’s ride from Philadelphia, it was a meeting place for locals and for travelers alike, where the news of the day was discussed over a drink or a hearty meal. Learn how during the winter of 1777-78, the Inn was a popular haunt for both patriots and loyalists alike. Hear how the very location that created its popularity would eventually lead to its demise, first in 1952, when it was […]

Social change in America during the 1930’s brought about innovation in the design of domestic architecture.  Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries interpreted the new American lifestyle first into architectural theory, then design and finally built form. It was during this period that Wright’s first ‘USONIAN’ homes were built, incorporating “natural” materials and the latest advancements in construction technology. His revolutionary architecture rethought the traditional relationships between the private and public spaces in the home and recast them in forms that we still recognize today as ‘modern.’ This lecture will take a closer look at the unique design of the Suntop […]

World War I will be the subject of the first lecture in the Trust’s Fall 2017 Lecture Series. Ryan Conroy, Historian and President of the Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area, will lead a discussion about the history of the men and woman who served during WWI from the northern Chester County region, from towns such as Phoenixville, Spring City and more. This talk commemorates the 100th anniversary of America’s involvement in World War I.  Conroy will feature individual soldiers, regiments and the area’s contribution on the battlefront and the home front in his remarks and in a display of original […]

On the eve of the opening of the 121st anniversary of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust is delighted to welcome guest speaker J. Michael Morrison to the 2016 Spring Lecture Series on Wednesday, May 24 at Jenkins Arboretum*, 631 Berwyn-Baptist Road, Devon, PA. Reception will begin at 7 PM, followed by lecture at 7:30 PM. The Philadelphia Main Line was largely created by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a means of getting people out of the city to enjoy the cooler countryside.  At each station, an inn was built to accommodate guests.  One of the most […]

“Award-winning Journalist & Author Bruce Mowday to Give Presentation on the Battle of Brandywine & The Johnston Gang” A wonderful lecture with award-winning author and journalist Bruce Mowday. Photos from the April 12, 2017 lecture. Chester County Author Bruce Mowday will talk about two of his books covering “Jailing the Johnston Gang” and the “September 11, 1777, battle of Brandywine.  Mowday covered the Johnston Gang while a reporter for the Daily Local News and was recently interviewed for a segment on Discovery ID television connected to the Johnstons. The battle of Brandywine as the main defense of Philadelphia, the largest land […]

Author Mark E. Dixon will entertain the audience with stories from his book, ‘Hidden History of the Main Line’, a collection of articles from Main Line Today which explores the region’s offbeat and oft-forgotten history. Beyond the grand facades and trappings of the Main Line cream-and-crystal crowd are hidden tales and scintillating stories. With a keen eye and a touch of humor, Dixon delves into the Welsh origins of nearly unpronounceable towns and the journey of the Sound of Music’s Trapp family to Merion. From anecdotes of the social who divorced her husband when had the gall to survive the sinking […]

Learn about the man who inspired the season’s hottest show on Broadway, Hamilton! The first lecture in the Trust Fall Lecture Series, “Alexander Hamilton: Architect of the American Financial System” will feature local historian and author Gene Pisasale as Colonel Alexander Hamilton.  Don’t expect Pisasale to rap or dance, but he will entertain and enlighten as he appears in full Continental Army officer’s uniform to share the story of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804).  Alexander Hamilton is one of the most important, yet least understood of the Founding Fathers. Orphaned as a young boy on the island of St. Croix, he later emigrated […]