Happy Holidays from Graeme Park

Teeny Tiny Graeme Park

One of the things we frequently hear at Graeme Park is how much bigger the house seems once you're inside, but did you know that Graeme Park was the inspiration for more than one miniature version?

The earliest we've encountered were models created by architects employed by the Works Projects/Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the Museum Extension Project which loaned the objects out to schools to use as teaching aids. We profiled these models with a bit more information as to their creation in the January - March, 2007 Graeme Park Gazette.

If you've been in the Visitors' Center, you may have noticed the wooden model on display that was created by carpenter Clarence M. Brunner and, like the WPA models, used as a teaching aid - this one in a 4th grade classroom at Simmons Elementary School. The kids painted the stones and did the interior decorating, including creating paintings for the parlor, furniture, and even Graeme family members.

If you want to see some truly amazing detail work, look no further than the Drawing Room of Twin Manor. Seven years of research by William R. Robertson, and construction in conjunction with his mother Esther, culminated in two identical 1/12th scale houses (hence the name, Twin Manor), one of which is on permanent display at the Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City. The Robertson's based their dream doll house on some of the finest examples of Georgian architecture from Virginia to Maine, and modeled their Drawing Room on those of Graeme Park and Fairmount Park's Woodford.

There is a definite resemblance in the panelled shutters, the triangular pediments over the symmetrical doors (which open in the opposite direction), the panelling on the side walls, and maybe the entablature (hard to see clearly in the photo) consisting of a simple architrave, dentil molding at the frieze level, and a simple crown molding, but the more ornate elements, particularly the fireplace overmantle, seem to have been taken from Woodford.



Woodford Parlor




Graeme Park Parlor

 For more information on Twin Manor and to see some of the other rooms, go here.


Pink Parlor, Graeme Park was created by Edith Farnum and displayed at the Philadelphia Flower Show in 1977. According to the exhibitors' guide, the creations were to be inspired by a "favorite place."

Other than the simplicity of the fireplace surround, and the standard 6-panel door and lock, I don't see much of a resemblance. Do you? I would like to get a better view of the windows and shutters. We first encountered this model here, and confirmed it with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society who sponsor the show. The room was sold at auction in 2007.

Driving Miss Betsy

If you’ve been by Graeme Park lately, you may have noticed a feral cat or two hanging around. At the beginning of October, Betsy (named for Betsy Stedman or Elizabeth Graeme, who was affectionately called Betsy) started to look pregnant. Our clinic appointment was still a few weeks off, and she was somewhat tame with us, allowing a pet here and there and always first in line for food. I got the brilliant idea to get her in a carrier and take her to a vet I know of who will work with feral cats. To my credit, I did successfully transport a younger feral cat/kitten this way once before with no problems. It was easy enough to put food in the carrier and just push her in and close the door when she started to eat. She didn’t seem too upset by it and continued her meal. She bumped around a bit when we started walking, most cats do. As we began driving down Keith Valley Road she wanted out, and she wanted out bad. She managed to pull the carrier door in towards her and escape. She stayed on the floor for a few minutes, and then began to explore the car. While we were driving. Do NOT try this at home. She was much calmer once she was out, walking in front of me and down my door to look out the back window. There was no way I was going to be able to get her back in the carrier within the confines of the car and I wouldn’t risk her escaping altogether somewhere strange, so we drove back to the park where she rejoined her friends to wait for the traps and her appointment. The next morning I realized she had pooped in my car. The moral of this story is don’t abandon your unneutered (or any) cats for other people to be responsible for. Oh, and it turned out she wasn’t pregnant after all, just a bad case of worms, which she was also treated for.