Estelle Cremers (1925-2010) was a historian in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, who served as the executrix for Grace Rodebaugh and her property, Welkinweir (East Nantmeal Township, Chester County, Pa.) The Estelle Cremers collection on Welkinweir, circa 1975-2001 (bulk 1990-2001), consists of various materials compiled by Estelle Cremers about Welkinweir and the Rodebaugh estate, especially regarding her duty as Grace Rodebaugh's executrix. It includes Grace's will, documents relating to Grace's finances, materials about the donation of Welkinweir to West Chester State College and resultant controversy, materials relating to establishing Welkinweir as an historic site, inventories and other papers relating to Welkinweir, and photographs and slides of the property.
Everett G. Rodebaugh (1902-1983), a nationally prominent court reporter and founder of a court-reporting service in Philadelphia, Pa. married Grace M. Haspel (1905-1999) in 1925. A wealthy couple who never had children, the Rodebaughs were socialites, travelled extensively, and were active as philanthropists and conservationists. In 1935, they purchased "Welkinweir," a 162-acre farm estate in East Nantmeal Township, Chester County, Pa., and converted part of the grounds into an arboretum. Welkinweir, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, as of 2013 is owned and administered by Green Valleys Association (an organization the Rodebaughs helped found in 1964). The Everett and Grace Rodebaugh papers, circa 1890-1985, consist of Everett Rodebaugh's professional papers, which include correspondence and legal/court records and transcripts; the personal papers of Everett and Grace, which largely include photographs, travel slides, and letters between the two; and...(see more)