You may remember our earlier piece on the Lichfield, or Johnson’s, Willow, a tree in England that captured Elizabeth’s imagination and led to her writing of two “Odes to the Litchfield Willow” (Elizabeth added the “t”). Our contact in England, John Winterton, has been hard at work negotiating a plan to get a descendent of […]
FROM THE ARCHIVES: This photograph of the parlor was taken in 1869 by John Moran and is held by the Library Company of Philadelphia. John Moran (February, 1831 – February 19, 1902) was a prominent landscape, architectural, astronomical and expedition photographer whose career began in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area during the 1860s. Moran was the […]
FROM THE ARCHIVES: This photograph of the parlor, taken by Frank Cousins, dates to sometime between 1865 and 1914 and is held by the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. It is one of a collection of 18 of his photographs held by the library featuring the interior and exterior of the […]
We were recently presented with a few artifacts that a park visitor had found on the grounds – a metal shank button and what appears to be a handle from a piece of furniture. Please note, as a state property, we do not allow digging or metal detecting, and any remains that may wash up […]
Following is a charming note addressed to Mrs. Strawbridge after a visit to Graeme Park. June 30, 1946 My Dear Mrs. Strawbridge Many are the colonial buildings I have examined, perhaps not as many as I would have liked, yet I don’t remember, anywhere, a place where there was such dignity as “Graeme Park.” I […]
We’ve recently been contacted by representatives of the Samuel Johnson Society in Lichfield, England regarding planting a cutting of the Lichfield Willow (also known as Johnson’s Willow) at Graeme Park. The Willow is a 4th generation descendant of one that stood during Johnson’s time and of which he was very fond, but what makes it exciting for […]
By Steve Griffith What is Living History? At its most basic, living history is using trained individuals to help guests understand (interpret) a historical site The two most common methods of living history interpretation are First-Person (when the interpreter dresses in costume, takes on a character, and becomes a person from the past) and […]
When we last left off, about mid-day on Friday, August 24, the lower slope of the south side was about half done. And if you’re a Facebook Friend, then you saw where they were at the end of the day on Friday – about 2/3 done. […]
Well, after much anticipation, and an official state bidding process, the new roof project has begun on the Keith House. The existing oak shingle roof was put on in 1989 (to replace the first roof the state put on the house back in the 1960s) and was really starting to show its age – both […]
Edward Lamson Henry painted “Drafting the Letter,” the painting in the photo at left, in 1871. You may recognize certain elements in the room as being similar to the master bedroom in the Keith House at Graeme Park. In fact it is based on this room – Henry painted what was called “historic fiction,” so […]