“I love going to Bartram’s Garden…it’s a living picture of the life and work of an extraordinary 18th Century man who, in his far ranging travels, made observations and discoveries that put the colonies on the horticultural map.”
- Ernesta Drinker Ballard, 1920-2005
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Bartram’s Garden is an amazing place and it just keeps getting better. More people than ever found us this year due to our unique riverside location. We are growing by leaps and bounds, in both visitation and visibility, due to the ongoing revitalization of the Lower Schuylkill River and the Mayor’s “New River City” initiative. Brand new docks at Bartram’s and Chestnut Street and events like the Schuylkill Banks Regatta (the first-ever rowing event on the Lower Schuylkill) and the return of the Schuylkill Sojourn to Bartram’s Garden in 2006 are just the beginning.
Program highlights this past year include our Southwest Philadelphia School Initiative, offering our education program free to under-served children in our local community. Now in its second year, we tripled the program to reach 2100 neighborhood children. Preservation of our historic structures continued this year with work performed on the Bartram House, Coach House, and Bartram Barn. In addition, this summer we removed a decade’s worth of invasive plant growth across the entire site opening up long lost trails and pleasing views of the Garden and River.
In order to continue our present progress and secure our future success we are launching a major comprehensive capital and endowment campaign. In just the first few months of the campaign we received several six-figure gifts and a $300,000 challenge grant from The McLean Contributionship that will match new and increased gifts from individual donors up to $20,000 each. Exciting developments including the extension of the Schuylkill River Trail to Bartram’s by 2008 make the timing of this campaign over the next five years a critical and watershed time in the history of the John Bartram Association and Bartram’s Garden. Quite literally, our success insure Bartram’s emerges as a major cultural destination, no longer remaining a hidden gem in the backwater of Southwest Philadelphia. I truly believe the time is right to make our move and take advantage of the wonderful opportunities coming our way as Philadelphia embraces its rivers and becomes the “New River City” in America.
The support of our friends and members in Philadelphia and around the world continually overwhelms me. In the coming months you will hear more about our plans and success and be invited to participate in securing our future. Please consider helping us at this special time in our history to whatever extent possible.
The appreciation of the life’s work of the Bartram’s, their unique place in the history of natural science, and the magic of this beautiful house and garden on the banks of the Schuylkill are the treasures we strive to preserve and interpret. There is no better place in Philadelphia where one can literally “feel” the 18th Century and connect with the “curious and ingenious” minds that created Bartram’s Garden in a tireless and timeless pursuit of knowledge.
The staff at Bartram’s Garden and I love coming to work each day. We thank all of you that help make that happen, and hope to see you all here soon.
Best wishes for the coming season and for peace in the New Year,
-Bill LeFevre
Please consider a gift of membership for those on your list who love history and horticulture as much as you do. As an added incentive, gift memberships in the John Bartram Association purchased for the 2005 holiday season do not expire until March 31, 2007!
JOHN BARTRAM ASSOCIATION NEW MEMBERS IN 2005
Mr. and Mrs. David A. Adams
George J. Ahern
Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Anderson
Richard Baca
Marjorie Ann Baney
Margaret Chew Barringer
Stephen J. Bartram
Catherine Baty
Pauline Bell
Barbara Bergman and Stephen Kulyik
Leola Ruth Bergmann
Geoffrey R. Berwind
Sigrid Berwind
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Beuret
Charlotte H. Biddle
Mr. and Mrs. Antony Bracali
Jean Brower
Anne Bryson
Jerome G. Buescher
Marguerite Cackley
Mr. and Mrs. Carter R. Buller
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard M. Burcham, Jr.
Carol Ann Burnshaw
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Byrne
Sandra L. Cadwalader
Mary Cardamone
Ana Carvalho
Jonathan Cass and Jacquelyn Caridad
Susan and Cummings Catherwood
Grey Cecil
Vaughn Cody and Leslie Smalley
Sheryl Conkel and Joseph Newland
Diana Cormack
Karen J. Cunningham
Mrs. Richard M. Daniel
Mr. and Mrs. Neil Daniels
Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Davis
Eleanor S. Davis
Sebastian de Saint-Exupery
Donna Deal
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Denious
Jeff DeVuono and Julia Wood
Mr. and Mrs. H. Richard Dietrich, Jr.
Stuart Dixon and Sally Elk
Dawn Dodson
Alice A. Doosey
Frank Dougherty
Alex Doty
Andrew M. Eastwick
Jr.David Ertz and Kristin Mullaney
Mrs. F. W. Elliot Farr
Mr. and Mrs. Gerhard Fedde
Mary Alice Frank
Peter H. B. Frelinghuysen
Diane and Richard Frey
Ames Friedman
Graham Garner and Lucy Duncan
Elizabeth H. Gemmill
Paul A. Gianakon
Henry Glassman and Rosemary Elliott
Mr. and Mrs. David R. Glyn
Phyllis Grady and Mary Lou Grady
Mr. and Mrs. Allen Greenough
Christopher Haab
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick C. Haab
Gregory Merrill Harvey and Emily Wallace
Carole Hauptfuhrer
Pam Hawley-Nelson
Christine G. Hayworth
Carolyn Healy
Sharon Hilliard
Julie Hirsch-Waxman
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Hirsig
Lee Horne and Bruce Pearson
Robert M. Howard
Scott Irwin
Elaine Jenson
Dr. and Mrs. Charles A. Joiner
William Jordan
James B. Jordan and Marguerite J. Ayres
Mr. and Mrs. Morris C. Kellett
Matthew Kent and Sandra Mawhinney
Helen Blair Kerchner
Nancy Khan
Mr. and Mrs. William R. Klaus
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Kleinbard
Jason Kulczynski
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Lucille Larkin and Paul Macdonald
Robert J. LaRouchev Mrs. Edgar R. Lawrence
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Ledwith, Jr.
Gretchen M-P. Leefmans
Michael Levin
Adrienne M. Levin
William G. Littleton
Sonia Loza
Carl Luebben
Robert E. Lundgren
Camille R. Macdonald-Polski
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Madara
Edward Marvel
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce W. McCullough
Dr. and Mrs. Bernard C. McDonnell
McFarland Tree and Landscape Services
Kathryn Kendrick McNeil
Mary Margaret McWilliams
Diane Meleski
Lewis Mellman and Christine Coward
William J. Memmer
Mark Mendenhall
Amy and Jack Meyers
Frances P. Mohoreanu
Gregory Montanaro
Diana Montgomery
James Morrisson
Amanda M. Mott
Eleanor M. Murdoch
Shoko Nioka
Mr. and Mrs. Ray C. Noll, Jr.
William J. Novak
Joy Oakey
Kathryn Obelenus-Birster
Roberta W. O'Dell
Danae Olsen
Mr. and Mrs. Ted J. Orlyck
Wesley Parrott
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Peck
Eleanor Penniman
John Peteraf
Kirk Phillips and F. Kennerly Clay
Mrs. H. Phelps Potter
Helen Pryor and Philip Minter
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Ralph
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald R. Remick
Edward Resovsky
Irwin and M. Susan Richman
Cynthia L. Roberts
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald B. Rorer
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Rose
Allen Sanders
Frank Sarlo
George Sayen
Mary Ellen Scott
Dorothy Eastwick Seaton
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Silvey, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald U. Smith, III
Erica Smith
Erica Sollberger
Christina Spolsky
Ernestine Steiner and Andrew Stiller
Donald Stevens and Judith Silver
Katrina Streiff
Laura Stutman
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Sullivan
Alice Lea M. Tasman
Shani Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Thompson
Mary Theresa Thornton
Marlaina Valentine
Martha van Artsdalen and Joseph Longo
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Weaver
Debra Laura Welker
Jo Ann Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Mark S. Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Winkler
Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Wittich
Fred Wolfe and Gary Bronson
Dr. and Mrs. Howard P. Wood
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth G. Wood
Jeanne Wrobleski and Robert Klein
Betti A. Yanachik
Mrs. C. Clark Zantzinger
Ruth Ann Zobel |
RECENT FOUNDATION GRANTS
The John Bartram Association is deeply grateful to the following for the generous support of our efforts to preserve, interpret, and enhance Bartram’s Garden.
May to October 2005
The Arcadia Foundation $10,000
Barra Foundation $1,700
Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation $1,000
Louis N. Cassatt Foundation $1,000
Claniel Foundation $10,000
Connelly Foundation $16,700
The Charlotte Cushman Foundation $1,000
Douty Foundation $2,300
Fairmount Park Trust for Historic Preservation $5,000
Hassel Foundation $2,000
Elizabeth S. Hooper Foundation $2,000
Independence Foundation $7,500
Christopher Ludwick Foundation $7,500
The Pew Charitable Trusts $10,000
The Philadelphia Foundation $3,806Quaker Chemical Foundation $1,500
BARTRAM’S HEAD START GARDEN: UPLIFTING AND REGENERATING
Twice a week since spring, 30 young children from local Head Start programs have been busy in the our children’s garden next to Bartram Village, most recently digging for potatoes, collecting leaves, and picking cherry tomatoes. Working with the students from Woodland Academy and Bartram Village Head are Bartram’s education director Christy Schneider and gardener Nancy Wygant. They are assisted by two gardeners from Southwest Philadelphia with a lot of enthusiasm and expertise, Zoneas Gainey and Richard Johnson.
“Where’s the big guy?” ask the children when they come to the garden looking for Richard who patiently shows them how to pop ground cherries, (related to tomatoes) out of the thin husks that cover these small but juicy vegetables. Food is just one of the rewards of the garden. Zoneas shared the sounds of her sekere, an African instrument made from a gourd. After frost, the children will dry their gourds in preparation for making their own musical instruments.
Zoneas says working at Bartram’s Garden with the children and tending the garden is “better than aspirin” in giving her time to “regenerate” and feel “uplifted.” Richard said working with the children has been a “deep learning experience” in seeing the way children are so observant and engaged with the natural world. Richard and Zoneas’ work with gardens continues at their community garden at 58th and Kingsessing in Southwest Philadelphia where they host a campfire with children from the neighborhood. They are active in their church community and created an intergenerational gardening project with children and seniors at the local Presbyterian Home.
Bartram’s Garden thanks Zoneas Gainey and Richard Johnson for their energy and commitment to using gardening as a way to promote health and well-being in Southwest Philadelphia. The Head Start children will likely remember their weekly walks to Bartram’s Garden and the fresh vegetables and caring adults who introduced them to the first potato they found underground.
-Christy Schneider
The Head Start Garden is funded in 2005 through the generosity of the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, the Samuel S. Fels Fund, and the Philadelphia Foundation.
2005 HOLIDAY GREENS SALE
Bartram’s Annual Holiday Greens Sale is just around the corner and sale chair Dottie Caporali is looking for donations of greens and volunteers to create and sell handcrafted holiday decorations. Volunteers are especially needed the week before and during the sale. Greens most sought included holly, magnolia, boxwood, cedar, variegated evergreens, winterberry or other winter fruits. Please remember the Garden when pruning and call us at 215-729-5281x100 if you can help.
Friday December 2, 2005, 12 - 4 pm
Member’s Preview Holiday Greens Sale
Member’s only get first choice of holiday greens to deck their halls and select from a variety of loose greens, handcrafted wreaths, centerpieces, and ornaments. Support the garden and welcome the season at the sale, a holiday tradition at Bartram’s Garden since 1989. (Non-members wishing to attend may join that day).
Saturday December 3, 2005, 10 – 4 pm
Holiday Greens Sale
All are welcome to browse for holiday decorations in the oldest barn in Philadelphia (built in 1775 by John Bartram, Jr.) and fresh cut greens in barnyard. Arrive early for best selection.
The American Roots exhibit at Painshill Park
Last July, executive director Bill LeFevre, director of education Christy Schneider, head gardener Todd Greenberg, and gardener Nancy Wygant attended the opening of the American Rootsexhibit at Painshill Park outside London. Traveling just two days after the bombing of the London underground did not deter our group from continuing the trans-Atlantic horticultural exchange with Painshill begun by John Bartram in 1748.
American Roots tells the story of how American seeds changed European gardens forever and is a collaboration of American and British historic and horticultural institutions including the Arnold Arboretum; Chelsea Physic Garden; Monticello; The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew; Bartram’s Garden; and Painshill Park.
The staff at Painshill, particularly the gardeners, as well as other participants, were impressed at the size of our contingent from “the colonies”. A highlight of the trip was a day spent at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew hosted by Kew’s director Sir Peter Crane who earlier visited Bartram’s Garden in 2004 and is a Bartram “fan”. Further collaborations with Kew and the British Natural History Museum are a definite possibility. The exhibit will run for at least the next two years and if you find yourself near London, it is well worth a visit.
This wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the Bartram's and their work at home and abroad was made possible with funding from John and Chara Haas, and Leonard Haas.
BARTRAM BENEFIT & RIVER CRUISE
Last May supporters of Bartram’s Garden enjoyed a wonderful evening in the Garden and on the Schuylkill River during our annual Bartram Benefit River Cruise. Over 100 guests cruised south from the garden toward the Delaware and say sights ranging from the only tidal wetland on the lower Schuylkill to an up close and intriguing look at the largest refinery on the east coast with tour guide, Bartram board member and Sunoco executive John McCann ….. Back on land, everyone enjoyed a wonderful meal and good company under a tent in the Bartram barnyard. Benefit co-chairs Gretchen Riley and Susie Wilmerding skillfully organized the evening’s festivities, which raised over $10,000 in support of programming at Bartram’s Garden.
If you wish further information on the 2006 Benefit or wish to serve on the planning committee, contact Theodora Ashmead at 215-729-5281 x 102.
Watch future mailings and our website www.bartramsgarden.org after the first of the year for updated information on the 2006 Calendar of Events and Schuylkill River Cruises.
UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS
On Thursday, November 17th, Bartram members and guests will attend a fascinating reception and viewing of Bartram related holdings at the Library Company of Philadelphia. John Bartram was the first person accorded free access to the Library, founded in 1731. Included in the viewing is William Bartram’s personal copy of his own “Travels” printed in 1791, one of only two in existence containing a special set of extra plates.
Future Member Events include receptions and viewings of Bartram related holdings at the Van Pelt Library of the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday, January 26, 2006 and another at the American Philosophical Society on Wednesday, February 15, 2006. All of the above events are $25 for members and $35 for non-member guests. Due to the nature of the collections these viewings are limited to 40 attendees each and are expected to once again sell out early. Call to register at 215-729-5281 x 103.
IN MEMORIUM: ERNESTA BALLARD
Bartram’s Garden lost a good and true friend this summer when Ernesta Drinker Ballard passed away at the age of 85 on August 11, 2005. The list of Ernesta’s accomplishments during her incredibly full and effective life is so long we would need to publish a separate edition to cover them all. Many are well known such as her founding Philadelphia Green and the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women, or her co-founding Women’s Way. You might point to her work to preserve the Swann Fountain and the Fairmount Water Works during her 20-year tenure as a Fairmount Park Commissioner. On the other hand, you might recall she helped elect the present Governor by switching her party affiliation so she could vote for him in the primary (and getting hundreds, perhaps thousands of others to do likewise). You might not know she wanted the City to accommodate the skateboarders in Love Park or that her last and perhaps most visionary cause was to create opportunities for urban kids to once again swim in the Schuylkill River (the water is clean enough and the technology is available, she researched it and its true, it will happen). This complex and accomplished woman, who fought for the rights of women (she was born before women had the right to vote) and raised countless sums for causes including Bartram’s Garden, will long be remembered and missed. A common thought expressed in memorials to Ernesta is she was a “hero” to many whose lives she touched. She was our hero and one of our greatest champions.
To date we have received the following donations in Ernesta’s memory.
Ernesta Ballard Memorial Donations |
Heidi Brock |
Joshua Cummings |
Bob Dowdy |
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker |
Molly Hicks |
Andrea Howell |
Sarah Kendall |
Paul P. McFarland |
Leon Robinette and Friends |
Amy Schaffer |
Note: Memorials from individuals designated to the Association’s Endowment Fund are eligible for matching dollar for dollar through The McLean Contributionship’s challenge grant for new and increased gifts.
ANNUAL APPEAL SEASON
The John Bartram Association raises a substantial portion of its operating budget each year through its annual appeal. These gifts are in addition to membership support (for which we are also exceedingly grateful!) and allow us to develop quality public programs, enhance facilities, and maintain outstanding staff to fulfill the Association’s mission to preserve, interpret, and enhance Bartram’s Garden. Thank you for your generous support.
2006 United Way Campaign
Each fall the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania makes it possible to support the causes you care about through their Donor Choice Option. This fall consider directing your United Way contribution to the John Bartram Association by checking Code 3136 on your United Way pledge form.
BARTRAM DOCK READY FOR BOARDING
As this issue of the Leaf goes to press the finishing touches are in progress on our new permanent floating dock at Bartram’s Garden. The dock project, over 5 years in the making, will allow for expansion of our popular Schuylkill River Cruise schedule and opens new doors to expanded visitation and awareness of the Garden and its unique place on Philadelphia’s “hidden river”. The dock project is made possible with funding from the City of Philadelphia, the Davenport Family Foundation, the George and Miriam Martin Foundation, Mr. & Mrs. Francis Bohlen, the Schuylkill River Development Corporation through a grant from the William Penn Foundation and the Coastal Zone Management Program.
Much of the work here at the Garden is accomplished by a dedicated group of whom we can’t say enough and who we can never thank enough, our volunteers. Great groups of volunteers worked at Bartram’s in 2005 including those from the Arts and Business Council, Brandywine Realty Trust, and Philadelphia Cares as well as many individuals. From weeding the parking lot, to sending out mailings, or chairing our Greens Sale, our volunteers tackle jobs our staff cannot handle on their own. We have improved our tracking of volunteers, but may well have missed a few in the following list and if so we apologize. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities at Bartram’s Garden call Andrea Taylor at 215-729-5281 x 100.
Volunteers in 2005
Karlyn Adams
Larry Arrigale
Kersi Asare
Raj Beri
Leila Berkeley
Jose V. Bermudez
Erica Breckner
Jean Bodine
Toni Brinton
Dottie Caporali
Aaron Cohen
Genise Coursey
Tracey Damon
Donna Deal
Harmony DeCosimo
Jeff DeVuono
Elizabeth Douty
Sarah J. Dyba
Erin Flynn
Charmayne Forrest
Jonathan Goldstein
Sandra Graham
Jackie Harmon
Mr. and Mrs. John S. C. Harvey, III
Ashley Horton
Erika Hovland
Theresa Howard-Carter
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Jones
Boris and Kelly Katsnelson
Tom Keels
Garrett Kennedy
Elizabeth Kent
Deborah Kim
Bindu Kolli
Jonathan Kossak
Mark Kraus
Haresh Kumar
Tony Le
Heather Lentz
Bob. Lundgren
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Marcia Makadon
Lario Marini
Laura Masapollo
Brenda McMillan
Martha Jane Miller
Edith Newhall
Margaret C. Norton
Ruth Pascal
Barbara L. Phillips
Sharon Pronchik and Aric Datesman
Mary Beth Regan
Gretchen Riley
Sandy Richardson
Rob Rogers
Pat Rossley
Stephen Rush
S. Saloni
Douglas Schaller
Michelle Schutz
Ann Seybert
Lucia Shen
Laura Shumaker
Brad Sorrels
Sidney Spahr
Stewart Spahr
Mr. and Mrs. James B. Straw
Carol and Rich Sutton
Alberta Tele-Lantey
Prasad Thammineni
Louise Turan
Jennifer Unterberger
Marlaina Valentine
Don Verlenden
Susan Warren
Susie Wilmerding
Linda Woodcock
Binky Wurts
Shengliang Zhang
Herbert Zheng and Lillian Chen
Lan Lan Zhou |
LINDBERGH BOULEVARD NOW A SMOOTH RIDE
This summer the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation replaced the 103-year-old railroad bridge on Lindbergh Boulevard at our entrance. The new span, completed in October, makes the trip to the Garden much more enjoyable, safer, and adds greatly to the appearance of our entrance. Landscape enhancements and additional signs will follow next spring. Additionally, SEPTA replaced the trolley tracks on Lindbergh Boulevard all the way back to 49th Street and Woodland Avenue. Therefore, whether you drive to the Garden or take the trolley, you are in for a smooth ride.
BICENTENNIAL ROOF CLEANING
Many of the cedar shingle roofs on Fairmount Park Houses installed in the mid 1970s are referred to by park staff as “Bicentennial Roofs”. This July and August crews from the Fairmount Park Trust for Historic Preservation cleaned thirty years of dirt and organic matter from the roof of the John Bartram House, the Coach House and the Bartram Barn. By doing this now we hope to extend the life of the shingles another five to eight years. The Trust funded 80% of the work with a match from the John Bartram Association. The success of this initial collaboration between the Trust and the Association should lead to further projects as we continue to preserve our historic structures.
TRASH PLANT NO MORE
After five years of legal and political maneuvering and countless hours of research, preparation, and advocacy by dedicated friends of the Garden, the proposal to open a waste transfer facility next to Bartram’s Garden is essentially dead. On September 21st the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment sustained our appeal of the owner’s variance and revoked the permit that allowed the variance. Our dedicated environmental attorney Paul Boni and attorneys from the firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll led by Michael Sklaroff started work on this appeal in 1999 and continued the fight for almost six years without ever submitting a bill for their considerable professional services, a truly remarkable public service above and beyond the call. On behalf of the John Bartram Association and the entire Kingsessing community, we thank all of those who fought the battle, wrote letters, made phone calls, and never gave up. We will remain vigilant for other threats to the community, but all signs point to revitalization of the Lower Schuylkill River keeping such activities out of our community.
LIST OF RECENT BARTRAM AND OR
EASTWICK DESCENDED VISITORS
The following Bartram descendants visited the Garden in 2005 and signed the guest book. Please let us know if you are a Bartram or Eastwick descendant when you visit and we will add you to the growing list.
Descendents Who Visited in 2005 |
Dorothy C. Bartram |
Mr. and Mrs. George David Bartram |
Osborn Cresson |
Mr. and Mrs. Bernard S. Dempsey |
Mr. and Mrs. E. Bartram Frame |
Mr. and Mrs. Darrow Johnson |
Dorothea Malsbary |
Keith S. McDonald |
Gretchen L. Mitchell |
Elizabeth C. Musgrave |
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Oakey |
Joe Wollweber |
Also, last February executive director Bill LeFevre visited with descendants of Andrew Eastwick in Florida and Maryland. Andrew M. Eastwick and his twin sister Estelle Stephens of Clearwater, Florida shared many of their early memories of their great grandfather’s home and garden. Mr. Eastwick, who turns 90 this November, first visited the garden in 1941! In May Bill had brunch with a group of Eastwick descendants who gathered in Easton, Maryland including Estelle’s daughter Estelle Knapp and her husband David Knapp who is in the midst of a multi-year project to construct a scale model of Bartram Hall, the 40-room Eastwick Mansion that stood on the site from 1851 to 1896. The model should be finished in time for display at Bartram’s Garden during the 200th anniversary of Andrew Eastwick’s birth in 2010.
SAVE THE DATE: Celebration! Benjamin Franklin, Founder
Join with us as we celebrate the 300th Birthday of Benjamin Franklin as we do every year, with a procession to his grave and a luncheon at the Downtown Club.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006. Call the garden at 215-729-5281 x 100 to receive an invitation to this unique and fitting tribute to John Bartram’s life long friend.
