Search

Start Over Subject Mansions

Main content

Biddle family papers, 1747-2011 (inclusive)

Extent:
70.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844) was one of the most prominent men in early 19th century America, best known as President of the Second National Bank of the United States. Many of his family members were also prominent to their contemporaries and to history, including Nicholas's brother, Commodore James Biddle (1783-1848), who served in the Navy for decades and worked to open up trade with Asia. The Biddle family papers, 1747-2011, consist largely of original manuscript documents from a number of Biddle family members, notably Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844), Commodore James Biddle (1783-1848), Letitia Glenn Biddle (1864-1950), Charles J. Biddle (1890-1972) and Katharine Legendre Biddle (1893-1973), and Nicholas Biddle, Jr. (1917-2013). In addition, there are some secondary-source materials pertaining to the Biddle family and the administration of Andalusia, the family's ancestral home.

Held at: Andalusia Foundation [Contact Us]

Main content

Edwin N. Benson papers, 1885-1909 (bulk) 1885-1999 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.2 linear feet
Abstract:
Edwin N. Benson (1840-1909) was a resident of Chestnut Hill and president of the Union League in Philadelphia. He built Lynnewood Hall. The Edwin N. Benson papers, 1885-1999, consist of seven scrapbooks about Lynnewood Hall; a site plan of Lynnebrook Road and print of Lynnewood Hall; three books; and additional miscellaneous items.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Highlands Historical Society photograph collection, circa 1900-2005

Extent:
2.75 linear feet
Abstract:
The Highlands Mansion was originally built for Anthony Morris (1766-1860), a lawyer and politician who served as speaker of the Pennsylvania Senate from 1793-1794. The estate was occupied by the Sheaff family from 1813-1917, when it was sold to the Sinkler family. The Sinkler family donated the remaining estate to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which took ownership in 1970, and it is now administered by the non-profit Highlands Historical Society. The Highlands Historical Society photograph collection, circa 1900-2005, includes photographs taken or collected by the Highlands Historical Society. The vast majority depict the Highlands building and grounds in the 1970s and 1980s, but there are a few photographs from the Sinkler-Roosevelt era, as well as some photographs from the 1990s.

Held at: Highlands Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Sheaff family papers, 1797-1904 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet
Abstract:
George Sheaff (1779-1851), a wine merchant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, purchased the Highlands Mansion in 1813. Sheaff was interested in "progressive" agriculture and scientific farming, and the grounds blossomed under his hand. His family was the first to reside at The Highlands year-round, and members of the Sheaff family occupied the mansion for 102 years. The Sheaff family papers, 1797-1904, consist primarily of daily journals of the Sheaff family, which were kept from 1838 to 1904. The collection also contains property plans, wills and estate records, and newspaper advertisements for the property.

Held at: Highlands Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Sinkler and Roosevelt family papers, 1899-1957 (inclusive)

Extent:
6.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Caroline Sidney Sinkler (1860-1949) was born in South Carolina and purchased The Highlands from the Sheaff family in 1917. She left the property to her niece, Emily Wharton Sinkler Roosevelt (1884-1970). Emily Roosevelt, wife of Nicholas Guy Roosevelt, bequeathed the Highlands to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Since 1970, the Highlands has been owned by the Commonwealth and been administered by the non-profit Highlands Historical Society. The Sinkler and Roosevelt family papers, 1915-1957, include correspondence, property plans, newspaper clippings, a few photographic reproductions of paintings, and several copies of a family tree. Nicholas Roosevelt's correspondence (1892-1930) and Emily Wharton Sinkler's correspondence (1902-1916) make up the bulk of the collection.

Held at: Highlands Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

LMHS.12: The Main Line Country Houses Collection, circa 1900-2003

Extent:
2.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The township of Lower Merion in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania was first settled by Welsh Quakers in 1682. It is part of the "Main Line," a collection of affluent Philadelphia suburbs located alongside the Pennsylvania Railroad line that was built between Philadelphia and Harrisburg in the mid-19th century. The Main Line Country Houses Collection, circa 1900-2003, consists of over 800 photographs and fact sheets on over 150 properties. The materials were collected by William Alan Morrison for his 2002 book The Main Line: Country Houses of Philadelphia's Storied Suburb, 1870-1930.

Held at: Lower Merion Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Radnor Historical Society subject files, circa 1860-2014

Extent:
27.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Radnor Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was founded in 1682, shortly after Welsh Quakers arrived on the lands previously home to the original inhabitants, the Lenni Lenape Indians. Development in the area increased when new transportation routes passed through the area, first the Lancaster Turnpike (the first toll road in America) in 1794, and then the Columbia (later Pennsylvania) Railroad in 1832. The township's population doubled between 1880 and 1890 with the birth of one of the country's first planned suburban developments, Wayne. Development and population boomed again in the wake of World War II and has continued to grow in the 21st century. The Radnor Historical Society subject files, circa 1860-2014, contain a general subject file with separate series for Streets, Estates, and Genealogy. Materials are mostly secondary-source, such as newspaper clippings, photocopies, printed materials, and ephemera, but there are also a large number of original photographs,...(see more)

Held at: Radnor Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Burholme Mansion architectural drawings, 1978-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.5 linear feet
Abstract:
Joseph Waln Ryerss built Burholme as his summer house in 1859, and upon his death he left it to his son, Robert Waln Ryerss (1831-1896). Robert's will stipulated that Burholme could be occupied by his wife, Mary Ann, but should eventually be turned over to the City of Philadelphia. The Ryerss Museum and Library was opened to the public in 1910 under the administration of the Fairmount Park Commission. The Burholme Mansion architectural drawings, 1978-1980, comprise approximately 40 architectural and shop drawings for a restoration of Burholme Mansion.

Held at: Ryerss Museum and Library [Contact Us]

Main content

Richard Wall House Museum photograph collection, circa 1855-2011

Extent:
6.5 linear feet
Abstract:
Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania was established in 1682 and the Richard Wall House was built the same year. The Richard Wall House Museum photograph collection, circa 1855-2011, is comprised of photographs relating to the people, buildings, and organizations of Cheltenham Township and Eastern Montgomery County.

Held at: Richard Wall House Museum [Contact Us]

Main content

Springfield Township Historical Society Whitemarsh Hall collection, 1916-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:
6.25 linear feet
Abstract:
Whitemarsh Hall, located in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was the home of Eva and Edward Stotesbury. The estate was designed by Horace Trumbauer and constructed from 1916-1920. It was converted to laboratories and briefly used by Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company before it was abandoned and finally demolished in 1980. The Springfield Township Historical Society Whitemarsh Hall collection, 1916-1992, is comprised of photographs, research notes, scholarly articles, and newspaper clippings relating to Whitemarsh Hall.

Held at: Springfield Township Historical Society (Montgomery County, Pa.) [Contact Us]

Limit your search

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

Current results range from 1747 to 2014

View larger »