Dr. Thomas Graeme died on the grounds of Graeme Park on September 4, 1772 on the day Elizabeth had decided to tell him of her secret marriage to Henry Hugh Ferugusson. She wrote: I sat on the bench at the window and watched him coming up the avenue. It was a terrible task to prepare. […]
July 31 marks the anniversary of the 1740 death of Lady Ann Keith, wife of Sir William. After being removed from the governorship in 1726, Keith returned to England in 1728 to seek another appointment. Before leaving, he ensured that his wife would have access to all the rents and emoluments of Graeme Park for […]
On this day in 1772, at 9:00 p.m., Elizabeth Graeme and Henry Hugh Fergusson were married. The ceremony took place in the garden of Swedes’ Church (Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Episcopal Church) without the knowledge of Elizabeth’s father, Dr. Thomas Graeme. Elizabeth’s close friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush attended the wedding along with several other of […]
These photographs were among those submitted with the application to make Graeme Park a National Historic Landmark, back in 1974. The the landscape photos in particular are interesting, as they show the most change! The first photo below shows what is now our parking lot, back when it was nothing more than a driveway with a few […]
“My family went to church with Margaret at the Church of the Messiah in Gwynedd PA in the 1950’s and 60’s. She always wore a lovely hat. When someone inquired why she did this, she said “I think the Lord wants us to look our best”. She was a great support and friend to all […]
On this day in Graeme Park history, 1766, Elizabeth’s only remaining sibling, Ann Graeme Stedman passed away of an unknown, painful disease: the air “pierced with her departing Crys.” Elizabeth believed she’d died of a broken heart, mourning their mother, who had died 10 months prior. “She saw good Anna go: her gentle Soul / […]
On this day in Graeme Park History, 1801, Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson passed away at the home of Seneca Lukens, the clockmaker and friend with whom she stayed at the end of her life. Her friend Betsy Stedman composed the following letter to her cousin Deborah Senior in Jamaica informing her of the sad news: Dear […]
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 […]
Margaret Strawbridge was a member of the Countryside Gardeners for many years. When she attended our meetings she always wore a hat and gloves and would offer a prayer before our monthly meetings. One of her particular interests was the Willow Grove Air Station. Each year, under her watchful eye, the garden club members would […]