What Is It? Where Is It? (Jun-ly)

Yes, that's right - Jun-ly (pronounced june-lie). It's a new month I made up to cover both the June and July "What Is It? Where Is It?" since the lead up to our 17th annual Celtic Festival (and the first time we made it a Celtic Weekend) just got too crazy and June and most of July got away from me. So here we are, almost at the end of July and hopefully back on track and getting caught up.

If you've been to Graeme Park, the "where" part of the question should be pretty easy to answer this time around, as it is a pretty distinctive feature, but do you know "what" it is? Or what we've been told it is anyway?

Post your guesses here in the comments or on the Facebook link and we'll be back next week with the answer. Also in the name of getting caught up, stay tuned for a Celtic wrap-up and our June and July weddings.

A Colonial Valentine

Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson led a life of romance and tragedy. One of the most highly regarded women of her time, she was well educated, the daughter of a prominent Philadelphia physician and the granddaughter of the former Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania. A successful writer and socialite, she hosted famed literary gatherings and counted luminaries of Philadelphia society amongst her closest friends and confidents.

So how did it all go so wrong for her? Disappointed early in love by William Franklin, she went on to marry a penniless Scotsman, whose involvement with the British during the Revolutionary War would cause her not only heartbreak, but lead to the sale of most of her worldly possessions and leave her fighting to retain her ancestral home.

During our Colonial Valentine tours costumed actors tell Elizabeth’s story in candlelit vignettes throughout the historic Keith House. The tours are scheduled for 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30 p.m. on February 13. The cost is $12/person, which includes light refreshments and sweets. Reservations and a credit card number are required to hold your space. Call 215-343-0965 for more information.

The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

The yellow fever epidemic that swept through Philadelphia in 1793, killing an estimated 10% of the city’s population, made country retreats like Graeme Park important havens. It was this epidemic that prompted Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson’s nephew-in-law, William Smith and his second wife, to take up residence at Graeme Park, which they had purchased from Elizabeth in 1791. Not wanting to live as a guest in her ancestral home, their move resulted in Elizabeth leaving her home for a boarding house in Hatboro, and finally to the home of Seneca Lukens, a local clockmaker, where she spent the last years of her life.

A special Living History Theater program, August 23 at Graeme Park in Horsham, will focus on the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 and its impact on the residents of Graeme Park and their friends. Costumed actors will present vignettes related to yellow fever in tours throughout the day between 12:00 noon – 3:00 p.m. Admission is $8/regular (12-64); $7/seniors (65+); $4/kids (3-11).

This program is sponsored by the Friends of Graeme Park with the cooperation of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Call 215-343-0965 for details. Directions are available on our website at http://www.ushistory.org/graeme.

Read an article about our event in the Trend newspaper - http://www.philly.com/community/archives/features/53233057.html