Have Fun Furnishing with Antiques

Older pieces add warmth and style

Published on 12/29/11

Whether it’s a treasured family heirloom, a piece overflowing with history, or the item you couldn’t pass up on an afternoon hunt, an antique surely will be the focal point of any room – assuming it’s properly placed, of course. Read More »

History Made Personal: Wyeth-Sanderson Map of Chester County

Historical map details Chester County's contributions to history

Published on 12/13/11

In the entryway of the Sanderson Museum stands a framed map, its blue trim surrounding red, green and yellow highlights identifying the people, places and events that have made Chester County a part of history. Fifteen people and 45 places of interest are depicted, drawn by the artist Andrew Wyeth with historical references by Chris Sanderson. Read More »

New Vision for Chester County Historical Society

New president aims to show how the past affects our lives today

Published on 11/11/11

Dr. Robert Lukens has been appointed president of the Chester County Historical Society (CCHS). Read More »

Unusual Peale Portrait is a Rare Acquisition

Philadelphia Museum of Art adds significant piece to its American collection

Published on 10/25/11

Formal portraits of African-Americans were exceeding rare in the early 19^th century. The Philadelphia Museum of Art has recently acquired such a painting, however. And it’s by revered artist Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827). Read More »

History Made Personal: Chads’ Ford Barbershop Sign

Sign is reminiscent of the Battle of Brandywine

Published on 9/26/11

Most people don’t even think twice when seeing a barbershop. Yet if you walk up the stairs of the Christian C. Sanderson Museum into the Pocopson Room, your eyes quickly note a rustic gem, known as the “Chads’ Ford Barber Shop” sign, painted by N.C. Wyeth and produced just after the turn of the 20^th century. Read More »

History Made Personal: Jennie Wade’s Purse

Purse speaks to civilian tragedy

Published on 7/25/11

The 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War was recognized around the nation this past April, with hundreds of communities sharing lectures, speeches, artifacts and even some remembrances from those whose ancestors participated in the historic conflict. The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1- 3, 1863 was a turning point in that war. Roughly 160,000 soldiers gathered in the small crossroads town for one of the seminal events in American history. Brutal fighting in places with colorful names like the Devil’s Den, Little Round Top and the Peach Orchard would in subsequent years be material for hundreds of books whose authors tried to decipher the reasons for the bloody battle. Read More »

Soup With Ceremony

Winterthur’s Tureens

Published on 6/23/11

Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Lewis Carroll (1865) Read More »

Native American Artifacts

Wampum will cost you

Published on 3/07/11

While Edward Hicks’ naïve style painting Penn’s Treaty with the Indians at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a treasure, it doesn’t make us feel that “we were there.” But a wampum belt displayed nearby screams: “My maker might have been in your backyard hundreds of years ago!” Read More »

Chester County Furniture

Published on 12/23/10

Newport shells? Check. Shaker room? Got it. New York Classical chairs? Yes. Read More »

Earthly Possessions

A Benjamin Franklin scavenger hunt

Published on 7/29/10

Finding Benjamin Franklin’s possessions scattered around Philadelphia is like a scavenger hunt for the soul of the city and a fun way to explore both the city and the man who has been called Philadelphia’s “greatest brand.” Many of Franklin’s things are in institutions he founded in Philadelphia, where he lived longer than any other place and where he died in 1790. Read More »