Governor William Keith, the first owner of Graeme Park, helped to rid the port of Philadelphia from the scourge of Blackbeard the Pirate. The Schooner Pursuit Historical Society will be here with their mobile museum to educate visitors on the difference between pirates and privateers, sign up recruits, and tell you about life at sea […]
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. (Attributed to Mark Twain) In the summer and fall of 1793 yellow fever gripped Philadelphia, the capital of the United States. Benjamin Rush, the most prominent doctor in Philadelphia, wrote to his wife Julia Stockton in Trenton on September 13, 1793. “My Dear Julia, Alive! And tho […]
Mention Graeme Park to a Horsham resident, and most will tell you it’s haunted! The stories of Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson’s ghost have been circulating since her death in 1801 and continue to be experienced by our staff and volunteers today. The Horsham police dread the nighttime alarms they are sometimes called upon to answer at […]
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 […]
We’ve been contacted by a researcher, Ken Nairn, in Scotland who’s been researching Elizabeth Graeme’s husband, Henry Hugh Fergusson. He’s provided us with a picture of his tombstone and a transcription of the inscription, which was made back in 1997 when it was less deteriorated. The inscription reads as follows: “Here is interred HUGH FERGUSSON […]
Quarantine, social distancing, and community spread are very much on our minds these days, but the concepts were not unknown to earlier doctors, including our own Dr. Graeme. Even though disease vectors were not always understood or accurately identified (bad air was often blamed), it was observed that those who avoided the sick escaped disease. While […]
Shop Local. Support History & Heritage. We have books, puzzles, small old fashioned toys, stocking stuffers, and easy parking and no mall crowds. Open Fridays and Saturdays 10 am – 4 pm & Sundays noon – 4 pm. Free DIY gift wrap station for purchases made in our museum store on Small Business Saturday (11/30) […]
Join us for Christmas in the Colonies! Tour the historic Keith House – decked out for the season – and learn about Christmas and holiday traditions in Colonial America from costumed interpreters. The Tapestry Historic Dance Ensemble will entertain you with with dance and music in the parlor, you’ll see what’s cooking in the […]
Governor William Keith, the first owner of Graeme Park, helped to rid the port of Philadelphia from the scourge of Blackbeard the Pirate. Learn about piracy in the colonies and beyond. Children and visitors are invited to dress in their best Pirate costume and partake in a hunt for hidden treasure.