A Wedding at Graeme Park: Jo & Matt

As the program says, Jo and Matt chose to make their vows and celebrate their union at Graeme Park on a Friday evening in late June.

The bride was escorted down the aisle to meet her groom in front of the historic stone Keith House. She was accompanied by her mother and brother, maid of honor, and led by a gaggle of young nieces and nephews.

Once the vows were said, the couple led their wedding party up to the 19th century stone barn for cocktails, games on the lawn, and a buffet dinner, catered by Jamie Hollander of New Hope, in the Open Aire Affairs wedding tent.

Their cute handmade sign, cleverly hung from one of the disguised park signs, pointed the way to all the evening's activities.

Cocktail hour was held under an open tent in the barnyard in front of the barn, and consisted of a variety of homemade (by the caterer) chips, pita, and crackers and a selection of salsas and hummus. All was artfully displayed for guests to help themselves.

Guests were greeted at the tent by place cards strung up with tiny clothes pins from a lattice fence that had been constructed for the purpose.

Tables were kept simple, modern/country and youthful with vases of varying heights full of fresh lemons and hydrangeas along with pale gray and white table linens, white votive candles and classic white dinnerware.

The table numbers, which were printed on burlap squares, were attached right to the centerpieces with garden twine. 

The menu consisted of homey dishes like chicken, a carving station with beef and pork, roasted potatoes, and orzo salad, but the real star (for this sugar-loving blogger anyway) was the dessert station. Pans and pans of hot apple and pecan pie/crumble, ice cream to melt on top, and the little fruit filled tarts Jamie Hollander is famous for, capped off the meal. Despite a (thankfully) brief rain shower, guests enjoyed the ambiance of the lighted tent and were still able to get in plenty of game playing on the lawn after dinner.

Congratulations and best wishes to Jo and Matt and thanks so much for choosing Graeme Park for your celebration.

If you're planning your own wedding, Open Aire Affairs and Graeme Park are hosting an open house for couples and their families on the evening of September 19. There will be some caterers and other vendors to meet with and sample from, and you can see the property and we'll answer any questions you may have. Please RSVP to kim@openaireaffairs.com if you're interested in attending.

A Wedding at Graeme Park: Lori & James

On a hot day towards the end of June, Lori and James chose to celebrate their vows at Graeme Park with the reception being located somewhere with hopefully more air conditioning. The day started with the bridesmaids attempting to smuggle the bride down to the Keith House sight unseen so she could make her big entrance down the aisle. While we don't allow receptions or larger ceremonies within the historic building, we are happy to make arrangements for the bride and her attendants to walk out of the building on her way down the aisle if it is so desired.

The ceremony itself was held near the little stream that runs in front of the house, with beautiful greenery as the backdrop for the bridesmaids' bright red dresses.

We even had our first celebrity wedding guest, a friend of the groom, Chubby Checker. Let's twist again, like we did last summer....

Congratulations and best wishes to Lori and James ...

The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 and its Effect on the Residents of Graeme Park

In the summer and fall of 1793 the residents of Philadelphia were in the gripes of a panic, precipitated by a malady whose origins they didn't understand. Not only did they not know where this fever, the symptoms of which included yellowing of the eyes and skin, came from, they didn't know how to avoid it. All they knew was that their friends and neighbors were getting sick and dying. Even if they had known how to help, they didn't want to risk their own health. Homes of the victims were marked by flags, and those who were healthy, and had the means to do so, fled to the country. There was one problem with trying to escape the disease-ridden city however: not wanting legions of potentially infected refugees roaming the countryside, travelers were stopped by guards and turned back unless they could prove they had somewhere to go.

Fortunately for Elizabeth Graeme's nephew-in-law, Dr. William Smith, and his second wife, Letitia, they had purchased Graeme Park in 1791 and it was to their new estate in Horsham that they were able to escape during the summer of 1793. Elizabeth had remained in residence at Graeme Park after the Smiths' purchase and was happy to do so as long as they remained in their city home. Once they removed to Graeme Park, however, despite the Smiths’ assertions that she was welcome to stay, Elizabeth was not comfortable with the role of guest in the home of which she had once been mistress. As the Smiths had left the city in haste, bringing nothing with them in the way of furniture and household goods, she remained with them during the course of the fever so that they could make use of her things, but by December of 1793 Elizabeth was preparing to make her move to Mrs. Todd’s boarding house in Hatboro and to leave the running of Graeme Park to the new owners.

During the three months that the fever raged in Philadelphia, Elizabeth was in contact with her dear friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush, who employed controversial bleeding practices in an attempt to cure the afflicted of yellow fever. He sent her articles on the fever and debated with her his theories on the cause. Never one to be afraid to form or express her own opinions, she went so far as to send him proof that his theory that the fever was caused by “bad air” was wrong and that it was, in fact, brought in by refugees from the islands.

On Sunday, August 25, 2013 from 12 noon to 3:00 pm Graeme Park will be presenting a Living History Theater program telling the story of how the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 affected the residents of Graeme Park and those in their social circle. These tours feature costumed actors throughout the house and will take place approximately every half hour. Tickets are $10 for adults 18+ and $5 for children and teens 6-17; light refreshments are included in the cost of the ticket.