There is nothing tied more to the land than a stone house.  Stone represents shelter, permanence, and local color.  Traditional farmhouses were built with stone cleared from the fields making a statement about the wealth that could be derived from the land.  Subtle differences in stonework communicated the growth of the homestead.  At Hillside Farm, …

Historic preservation planner and principal in Wise Preservation Planning, Robert Wise will present NC Wyeth’s House & Studio, Andrew Wyeth’s Studio and the Kuerner Farm, three properties that had a great influence on the life and work of these two most prominent members of the Wyeth family. Wise has worked extensively with the Brandywine Conservancy …

Some people collect antique cars. Some people collect works of art.  Brad Tiffany, Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust board member and building committee chair, collects barns. That’s right – not barn models, but the real thing. Brad will share with us stories about his collection of barns, including the original 1832 English Lake District barn that …

Sean Moir presents a program describing Revolutionary War troop movements in Chester and Delaware Counties. Known as the Philadelphia Campaign, this included three battles within two weeks: the Battle of Brandywine, the Battle of the Clouds, and the Paoli Massacre. Sean’s presentation establishes the context of the Philadelphia Campaign within the American Revolution, and uses …

Greg Prichard an experienced designer, historian, and lecturer. A native of Wayne, he pursued a master’s degree in historic preservation planning at Cornell University, where his thesis explored the history and preservation issues relating to the historic train stations of the Main Line. His business, Prichard Design & History Studio, focuses on bringing historic sites …

Paul Eisenhauer will give an illustrated talk about Wharton Esherick’s life and work in Chester County, with particular emphasis on Sunekrest, the farm that he and his wife Letty purchased in 1913, and which the Museum re-purchased in 2014.  Dr. Eisenhauer will share some of the Museum’s plans for utilizing the space. Paul Eisenhauer received …

Greg Huber will present “The Unique Tredyffrin Log Bank Barn and Its Distance Log Barn Cousins” on Wednesday, October 21. His talk will focus on the unique Tredyffrin Township log bank barn, the Jones Log Barn, that was dismantled in the fall of 2000. This barn had some remarkable aspects and even its mere existence and …

Connie Potter will talk about “Women in Revolutionary War Era Records.” Although there are few records of women soldiers in the Revolution, the National Archives holds records that describes the lives of women both during and after the war. Included in her talk is Barbara Syren, who fought briefly in Col. Oliver Spencer’s Regiment; the …

A few names are known – General George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, perhaps Baron Steuben, General Henry Knox, or General Nathaniel Greene. But few people know many of other names—nor any of the stories— of the 12,000 or more soldiers who marched into camp on December 19, 1777 and spent the winter at Valley Forge, …

On the eve of the opening of the 120th 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 25 at Jenkins Arboretum, 631 Berwyn-Baptist Road, Devon, PA. Reception will begin at 7 PM, …

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 …

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 …

“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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …