A bucolic setting at a historic farm is one of the scenes awaiting guests at the Chadds Ford Historical Society's 30th Annual Candlelight Christmas Tour.
For the last three decades, the Chadds Ford Historical Society (CFHS) has been showcasing historic properties decked out for the holidays during the first week in December.
An elegant Tudor home designed by the same architect chosen for Winterthur is part of the Chadds Ford Historical Society’s 30th Annual Candlelight Christmas Tour.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Chadds Ford Historical Society will celebrate its 30th Annual Candlelight Christmas Tour. This much-anticipated annual tradition will take place from 1 to 6 p.m. and will feature some of the area’s most distinctive homes and historic sites, boasting holiday finery enhanced by the glow of candles.
The tour will include locations in and around Chadds Ford and Pennsbury Townships. They will range from an elegant Tudor that sits atop more than five acres with views of Chadds Ford’s rolling hills to a stone farmhouse built by John Hope in the early 1700s, one of the earliest buildings in Pennsbury Township.
Guides will be on hand at each location the day of the tour to highlight each home’s unique history, architecture, and decor. When guests purchase their tickets, they will receive a tour booklet, which includes a detailed description of each of the sites. The Chadds Ford Historical Society Visitors’ Center – where tickets will be available – the John Chads House, and Sanderson Museum will all have parking.
All other sites will be accessible only by shuttle buses departing from the Chadds Ford Elementary School lot and the business campus lot below the Barns-Brinton House. Guests should purchase their tickets online or at the Visitors’ Center before going to the shuttle lots. For an advance look at the tour booklet, click here.
Nadia Barakat, the society’s executive director, said she’s looking forward to the event. “It’s going to be amazing,” she said. “People have already told me how excited they are about it.”
Proceeds from the Candlelight Christmas Tour help support the society’s educational programs for schoolchildren and the community at large and help fund its ongoing research projects on the history of the Chadds Ford area.
A former employee of a respected Chester County business is accused of stealing more than $195,000 worth of merchandise from the company, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced in a press release.
Thomas Wessells
Thomas Wessells, 55, formerly of New Castle, De., allegedly stole from the Witmer Public Safety Group in Sadsbury Township, where he worked as the director of order fulfillment. The Witmer Public Safety Group sells police and fire supplies to first responders in the region. It also serves as a key sponsor of “Shop with a Cop,” a popular Christmas program for underprivileged children that has served as a regional model.
Wessells, who now resides in Waterford, N.Y., used his position to steal products from the Witmer Public Safety Group and sell them on eBay during his eight years with the company, the release said. The thefts came to light after the defendant was terminated in January 2014 for viewing pornography on a company computer and violating the company’s sexual harassment policy, according to Wessells’ criminal complaint.
“It always comes as a shock to find out that one of your own employees has been stealing from you,” Hogan wrote in the release. “Businesses know how to protect themselves from armed robbers, burglars, hackers, and other outside threats. However, a business is often most vulnerable to fraud conducted by a trusted insider like the defendant here. At the end of the day, these defendants are always betrayed by their own greed and stupidity.”
During the course of Wessells’ termination, the company reviewed his computer usage, discovering suspicious activity and alerted police, according to the complaint.
The Chester County Detectives conducted interviews, reviewed account information, conducted a forensic review of electronic data, examined financial transactions, and engaged in other investigative techniques. The detectives discovered that the defendant was stealing products, such as police rifle scopes and firefighter helmet lights, and selling them on eBay, the complaint said.
The detectives traced more than 2,000 unauthorized eBay sales of $196,115.39 to Wessels, who did not list them as income on his tax return, according to the complaint.
Wessels was arraigned on Tuesday, Dec. 1, on charges that include felony theft, dealing in unlawful proceeds, and related offenses. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail, Hogan said.
This case was investigated by the Chester County Detectives and the Sadsbury Township Police Department. Anyone with further information should contact Detective Thomas Goggin at 610-344-6866, Hogan said.
Mark S. Seldomridge, 61, of Hockessin, died Tuesday, Dec. 1, at his residence. He was the husband of Nancy Zilke Seldomridge, with whom he shared 11 years of marriage.
Born in Wilmington, he was the son of Dorothy Snyder Seldomridge of Kennett Square, and the late Richard Seldomridge.
Mark was a production operator at Valero Energy in Delaware City, retiring in 2010 after 20 years of service.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Kennett Square.
Mark enjoyed working in his yard, cooking, traveling and being with his family and friends.
In addition to his wife and mother, he is survived by two daughters, Allison Antonio and her husband Anthony of Jupiter, Fla. and Amanda Seldomridge of Elkton, Md.; one stepson, Michael Kreps and his wife Brandy of Alexandria, Va.; one brother, Gary Seldomridge and his wife Diane of New Castle; one sister, Diane Leone and her husband Jeffrey of Charlotte, N.C.; four grandchildren, Kelsie, Grace, Macey and Kennan; five nieces, Katlyn, Heidi, Marianne, Makayla and Maya, and one nephew, Joseph.
You are invited to visit with his family and friends from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at the First Baptist Church of Kennett Square, 415 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348. His funeral service will follow at 2:30. Burial will be at the Longwood Cemetery, Route 1 in Kennett Square.
In memory of Mark, a contribution may be made to the First Baptist Church of Kennett Square, at the above address.
Twin Bridges, the span across the Brandywine Creek along Creek Road near Rocky Hill Road in Chadds Ford Township and the Haskell Farm in Pennsbury Township, is scheduled to be replaced beginning in 2019. The work is expected to take about 18 months and be finished by the end of 2020.
That was the general take-away from a stakeholders’ meeting in Pennsbury Township on Nov. 30. Several dozen people attended, including supervisors from the two townships, planners from the Brandywine Conservancy and River Museum of Art and general residents.
The current span, which dates back to 1927, is structurally deficient. Studies into replacing the bridge began in 2008.
Jason S. Besz, project engineer with GPI Engineering and Construction Services, said the engineering team has still not decided on a design for the replacement bridge. He showed three options.
The first option is to keep the same location and grade of the current bridge with some modifications to the approaches. Other options include moving the bridge slightly south and lowering the grade almost even with the railroad tracks.
One of those other options includes moving the span just slightly south, reconstructing the approaches and using a shorter span. The other option would move the bridge even further south and reconfiguring the approaches to have softer curves, Besz said.
Both of those options, with the lower grade, would mean heavy flooding from a 100-year storm would bring the water level to less than a foot from the bottom of the bridge’s arch.
Other modifications include widening the span from its current 22-foot width to 26 feet wide. There would be two 10-foot wide lanes with two 3-foot shoulders.
According to Besz, no matter which design option is chosen, the work would still take a minimum of two construction seasons. Each season is about nine months, from early spring through autumn.
Each of the three options under consideration would mean as yet unspecified detours. However, Besz said the third option, which moves the bridge the farthest, would mean a shorter detour time because the current bridge could be used while some of the work is being done.
PennDOT and the U.S. Highway department are not the only government agencies involved in the decision process. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is also involved because the bridge is within an historic district and the bridge itself contributes to the historic district.
The current bridge was constructed in 1927 after engineers started looking at changing the original structure in 1924. The name Twin Bridges stems from the original design that consisted of two bridges aligned end to end across the creek.
Moving forward, there will be more engineering meetings with input from the state historical commission taking place in spring of 2016. Once a design option is chosen, the project will then go out for bid in 2019. The bid will be awarded about five weeks later.
(Photo: Jason Besz,of GPI Engineering, discusses one of the options for the Twin Bridges replacement during the Nov. 30 meeting.)
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Tea bowls made by Greenwood Elementary students to benefit Kennett Cupboard
The first weekend in December is full of local artisan shows, craft fairs, and open studios of local artists selling everything from paintings to ceramics and jewelry. This month is the “Art of the Gift” for the Brandywine Artisan Wine Trail, so even wineries will be getting into the spirit of handmade gifts for the holiday season. With so many options, it makes for some difficult choices in the weekends ahead!
Artist friends Ellie Byrom Haley, Kim Z and Randy Strader are having an open studio sale on Saturday December 5th from 2-7 pm at 27 Dilworthtown Road in Thorton, where they are filling the place with delightfully intriguing art and artifacts. My husband and I bought three artworks there last year for gifts … and kept them all instead. It is so hard to give away things that are one-of-a-kind!
Also on December 5th, from 10am-4 pm ceramic artist Bridget Hughes will have her pottery sale open house at 562 Spring Hollow Lane in Media. Her work was recently shown at the successful Unionville Art Gala two weeks ago.
Sculptor Jill Beech has another great artist open studio Sunday December 6 and December 12th 10am-4:30 pm. Located about 20 minutes north of Kennett Square, her studio is at 6 Park Avenue in East Fallowfield PA. Weaving artist Eva Stossel will be showing at the Beech studio as well.
Other art gift shows and sales include the $300 and under show at the Chester County Art Association in West Chester, the “Gifted” show ($500 and under) at the Art Trust at the Meridian Bank in West Chester, and the “Artisan Gift Shop” at The Oxford Art Alliance showing 10 am – 6 pm through December 23rd.
This Friday, The Oxford Art Alliance has their “Community Art Project” holiday ornament and sand art for public hand-on fun from 5-8pm. The Phoenix Village Art Center features the colorful work of artist Sidish Nidamarthy for the month of December; whose work incorporates traditional Indian styles and Persian motifs. Also remember, all of these wonderful art organizations have myriad classes for you and your family to choose from throughout the winter season…wouldn’t an art class be an incredible gift?!.
Local art galleries also have intriguing new shows for the month — stop in to unwind and breathe in the creative spirit at The Church Street Gallery in West Chester, Mala Gallerie in Kennett Square, The Longwood Art Gallery in Kennett Square, and The Chadds Ford Gallery in Chadds Ford.
For the first week in December, The Church Street Gallery is finishing its show of Robert Bohne’s “Revisited” stunning, subtle, sometimes tonat oil studies that make the everyday landscape bring you to another place and time. The show’s title “Revisited” refers to the fact that Robert Bohne was the first artist to show at the Church Street Gallery when it opened, so this show is a celebration of this gallery’s success and a revisit to the work of a very fine artist.
Mala Gallerie is already all lit up for the holidays! This month Mala features the work of Lithuanian artist Serge Krupnov in an exhibition entitled “Journey”, which opens with a reception on Friday December 4th from 6-9 pm. Also at Mala, Jennifer Domal’s Pysanky egg ornaments are for sales as well art selections from 27other local artists.
To help the community’s Kennett Cupboard, Mala Galleria is selling Tea Bowls made by the students from Greenwood Elementary School. See above photo. Led by the Gallery’s artist Meghan Bergman. 100% of proceeds will be given to Kennett Cupboard, so please visit and purchase one for this good cause!
The walls of Galer Estate Winery’s tasting room are full top to bottom with the beautiful work of ceramics artists Rhoda Kahler and Emily Manko on Sunday, December 6th. These contemporary pieces are priced from $100 -$1000, and would be striking complements to any home, and they look really great at the winery too.
Critter Carolers Credit-Carlos-Alejandro
The Brandywine River Museum of Art will always put you and your family in a holiday mood with their beautiful Christmas display and train exhibit. Their annual “Critters” ornament sale is this Saturday December 5th and 6th from 9:30 am -4:30 pm. The critters may not technically be fine art, but they are such a delightful museum tradition where volunteers spend all year creating these novel ornaments from natural seedpods and other findings to raise money for the museum. The museum has several December evenings of Christmas carols, and even evenings with children dancing the Nutcracker. Checkout the museum’s website for tickets and information for these heartwarming family traditions.
At The Delaware Museum of Art, take your family for a stroll through the wonderful permanent collection and open your brain a bit by attending one of their lecture series, including “Poetry Behind the Painting” December 6th with Dr. Lillyrose Veneziano Broccia from the University of Pennsylvania. Lectures at both of these fine museums are always stimulating and leave you feeling smarter and engaged…great brain food after all that shopping!
Lele Galer is an artist who has chaired numerous art shows, taught art history and studio art, public art and has chaired, written and taught the Art in Action Art Appreciation series for the UCFD schools for the past 12 years. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and wrote for the Associated Press in Rome. She has been dedicated to Art History and art education for most of her adult life. Lele and her husband Brad own Galer Estate Winery in Kennett Square.
Jack R. Johnson, 83, of Kennett Square, died Thursday, Nov. 26, at the Christiana Hospital. He was the husband of Michale Barwell Johnson, with whom he shared 58 years of marriage.
Born in Rosedale, PA, he was the son of the late S. Frank and Mabel McMillan Johnson.
He was an electrical motor repairman at Robert S. Swanson and Son in Kennett Square, PA. for 40 years, retiring in 1993.
He served his country in the US Army . He was a former member of the VFW in Kennett Square, PA.
He enjoyed bowling, the Flyers and Eagles and being with his family and friends.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by one daughter, Karen Mento (Benjamin) of Coatesville; two sons, John Johnson of Kennett Square, and Steven Johnson of Oxford; three brothers, Bill Johnson of Jennersville, Bernard Johnson of West Chester, and David Johnson of Landenberg; 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
He was predeceased by three sons, Michael Johnson, Thomas Johnson and Kenneth Johnson; one sister, Alexa Riale.
You may visit with his family and friends from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, 250 West State Street in Kennett Square. His memorial service will follow at noon. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to Michale Johnson, c/o 514 D Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348
Mother Pearl Irene Bladen, 98, of Avondale, died Sunday, Nov. 29, at Twin Pines Nursing Health Care Center. Her first husband, Richard “Joseph” J. Bladen, with whom she shared 52 years of marriage, died in 1990, Her second husband, Donald William Brown died in 2006.
Born in Ijamsville, Md., she was the daughter of the late James E Foreman and Irene Bowman Foreman.
Pearl was a building supervisor at the West Chester University, West Chester, PA for 19 years, retiring in 1982.
She was a member of the Supreme Council of the House of Jacob, USA, Inc., the Kennett Area Senior Center, Stitch and Time Club of Delaware and the Kennett Square Auxiliary No. 2, of the Chester County Hospital.
She enjoyed cooking, traveling, helping other people and being with her family and friends.
Pearl is survived by one son, Dennis E. Bladen and his wife Joyce of Newark; one step daughter, Donna Cotto and her husband Angel of Melbourne, Fla.; one sister, Betty Ann Gwynn of Wilmington; five grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, and four godchildren. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, many of whom she raised.
She was predeceased by three sisters, Dorothy Foreman, Annie Foeman, and Margaret Hill.
A special thank you to Lawrence Hill, Ida White, Chestine Bowman, Elizabeth Fountain and Joyce Bladen, for helping care for Pearl.
You may visit with her family and friends from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Avon Grove Church of the Nazarene, 240 E. State Road in West Grove. Her funeral service will follow at 10:30. Burial will be in Rolling Green Memorial Park in West Chester.
In lieu of flowers, contribution may be made to the Supreme Council of the House of Jacob, USA, Inc., PO Box 310, Coshocton, OH 43812.
Ralph Adrien Olivier, 62, of Landenberg, died Wednesday, Nov. 25 at his home. He was the husband of Carol Blevins Olivier, with whom he shared 25 years of marriage.
Born in Fall River, Mass., he was a son of Adrian Olivier of Newark, Del., and the late Ruth Hoehn Olivier.
Ralph graduated high school from the American School of Paris, and was a graduate of Cornell University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural design. He was also a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity to which he was deeply committed.
A self-employed architect and a member of the American Institute of Architects, he had a passion for historic preservation. His professional career included designing custom homes and additions, professional and public buildings, and even a control room for an oil refinery in Abu Dhabi. He was a board member of the Franklin Township Planning Commission, Historical Architectural Review Board, and the Historical Commission.
He was an avid reader, a photographer, a history buff who greatly enjoyed comedic, old movies, a skilled pianist, and a dedicated member of the German Club in Newark. He enjoyed woodworking, going to auctions, traveling, spending time at his family beach home, and together with his wife Carol, he took pleasure in bird watching especially on their visits to Arizona and Utah.
In addition to his wife, Ralph is survived by his father, Andy, two brothers, Keith and his wife Christine, and Terry and his wife Peggy; and two nieces, Bethany and Brooke Olivier.
You are invited to visit with Ralph’s family and friends from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116), 250 W State Street, Kennett Square, Pa 19348. A service celebrating his life will follow. Interment will be held privately. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com.
