The Chadds Ford Historical Society Society now has a new executive director.
Mike Connolly
CFHS President Kendal Reynolds has announced that Michael Connolly, formerly of the New Castle Historical Society, will be assuming the position of on May 2.
During the past few months, the society has conducted an extensive search to find a new director with the mix of education, background and experience to lead the organization, fulfill its Mission and increase its involvement with the Chadds Ford community.
“Mike’s attitude and philosophy aligns with the direction of the society and his demonstrated network, resources, and development focus will solidify the great team we have built during the past year,” Reynolds said in a press release.
Connolly was the executive director of the New Castle Historical Society, New Castle for eight years where he managed their two historic buildings: the Dutch House and the Amstel House. He also negotiated with the State of Delaware to convert the historic Arsenal Building, owned by the state, into a town visitors’ center and the headquarters of the NCHS and its museum shop.
Prior to the NCHS, Connolly was the assistant director of the Mount Clare Museum House in Baltimore ,Md., and an officer at the MBNA America Bank in Wilmington.
Reporting to Connolly will be Allison Schell who is the program manager and Derek Larson who is the office and media manager at the Historical Society.
The CFHS welcomes Connolly and looks forward to its bright future under his leadership.
Patricia Ann Stockton, 56, of West Grove, died Saturday, April 2. She was the wife of Joseph William Stockton with whom she shared 29 years of marriage.
Born in Chester, she was the daughter of Marian Lee and the late James Long.
She was a woman of faith, an avid reader and a crafty woman who loved to crochet. She had an innate gift with children who instantly connected with her spirit and vivacious laugh. She enjoyed her many years as a youth leader and daycare personnel. She consistently utilized her gift of writing through poetic therapy in hopes that it would help comfort others. To her family she signified strength and the courage to survive.
In addition to her husband she is survived by beloved daughters Wanda Dilworth and Christine Stockton and grandchildren Abigail and Austin Dilworth, and one brother, John Long.
She is preceded in death by her siblings James Long Jr. and Marian Smith.
You are invited to visit with family and friends Saturday, April 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at New London Presbyterian Church, 1986 Newark Road (Route 896 ), New London, PA 19360, for a Celebration of Life.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mail a check to: NAMI P.O. Box 62596 Baltimore, MD 21264-2596, or call NAMI at 1-888-999-NAMI (6264) or see more at: https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Donate
The April 4 meeting of the Birmingham Township Board of Supervisors was pretty much all about roads.
Supervisor Scott Boorse recapped last week’s meeting with PennDOT regarding the Route 926 Bridge project, and Police Chief Tom Nelling said there would be a township-imposed detour on Country Club Road that would coincide with PennDOT’s detour during the bridge reconstruction.
As previously reported, construction is set to begin on the bridge project at the end of this year, with a detour going into effect in late February or early March. But instead of a detour around the bridge lasting up to a year, it will only be for about six months. PennDOT will impose penalties on the contractor if the detour lasts beyond Labor Day.
But Birmingham Township will also be detouring traffic around Country Club Road while the bridge is shut down.
Nelling said Country Club would be closed between Hessian and General Wayne Roads.
“You won’t be able to get to Radley Run Country Club from Creek Road [during the bridge closure],” Nelling said. “It’s to prevent people from using Country Club as a cut-through while the bridge is closed.”
Boorse also said that Creek Road, between Route 1 and Route 926 would remain open when the bridge project shifts to realign Creek Road between Route 52 and 926. Traffic from Route 1 can go north on Creek Road and turn right onto eastbound 926. Traffic from westbound 926 will be able to turn left onto southbound Creek Road.
He added that supervisors met with PennDOT officials regarding improvements to the southern portion of Creek Road earlier in March and two of three concerns are to be addressed.
Work will be done to repair the area of potholes between Master’s Way and Brinton’s Bridge Road, and crews will look to install an inlet to take standing water from the roadway to the creek.
“For the record, PennDOT is addressing our concerns, and two of them should be addressed by mid-summer,” Boorse said.
A third concern, shoring up the road surface, would be examined, but nothing beyond that has been promised, he said.
Roadmaster Dave Rathbun said during his quarterly road report that Innovative Construction would perform the work required for the 2016 road program at a cost of $220,000, $10,000 less than the engineer’s estimate.
Rathbun said Innovative, which did the project in 2014, is eager to get started and would likely begin milling and patching this week, weather permitting. A subcontractor will do the sealing and coating once daytime temperatures are consistently in the 60s.
He added that the township would receive more liquid fuels money than anticipated. Birmingham thought it would get $147,000, but the actual figure now is almost $151,000.
Rathbun also reported that the township spent $72,195 spent on snow removal, which is 51 percent of what was budgeted.
Other business
The supervisors voted to change township office hours effective May 1. The new hours will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with no hours on Friday. Also approved was the hiring of Judy Jensen as part-time office personnel at $20 per hour.
Current office hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Supervisors’ Chairman John Conklin said the change was worth a try, while Boorse added that most of the people coming to the township building on business come before noon and that almost no one comes on Fridays.
There will a zoning hearing on April 20. Clive Robertson and Elaine Campbell want to install solar panels on their roof at 1610 Master’s Way.
Dave Santoleri, of TerraSol Energies, said the panels would be installed on the roof at the rear of the house and that they wouldn’t be visible from the road. He also told the board that the plans meet with township codes.
The board chose not to take a position on the matter, and will let the Zoning Hearing Board decide as it thinks best. The alternative energy ordinance requires a zoning hearing for the installation of solar panels.
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.
For the third year in a row, Diana Bartels (right), shown with Angela Halsey of Kennett Square sets a winning table with a Roaring '20s theme at Brandywine in Black.
The beauty of the Brandywine bedazzled the crowd on multiple levels at the Brandywine in Black (BIB) event on Saturday, April 2.
These shoes fit the bill for Brandywine in Black’s jet attire with a pop of yellow.
Held at the Brandywine River Museum of Art, the gala filled all three levels of the museum core in the early evening hours. Then, the floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the party lights as the festivities continued.
Inspired by the popular “Diners en Blanc” in France, BIB guests packed elaborate picnic hampers and table settings before heading to the museum – a location disclosed just a few days before the event. Since the beneficiary of this year’s BIB was the Brandywine Conservancy, the Young Friends of the Brandywine pitched in with the planning and execution. Their rubber ducky-inspired table décor, the brainchild of Brian Cawley, was whimsically elegant.
With dinner behind them, attendees at Brandywine in Black enjoy the dance floor.
The color theme this year was “black with a touch of yellow” – easy to execute with so many yellow flowers currently in bloom. Sunshine-hued tulips and forsythia popped up everywhere – in centerpieces, on lapels and even in hair decorations.
Most adhered to the admonition of “a touch of yellow,” but some really rocked it. Yellow shoes were the color challenge of choice, both for men and women. Unfortunately for the women, the fancy shoes were hard to walk in, and many brought more comfortable footwear as backups.
Uncomfortable shoes might have qualified as the only negative for Brandywine in Black, a model of detailed planning. All that organizers and guests had to do was have a good time, which they did.
A table of four enjoys dinner at Brandywine in Black at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.
There were several options for the 158 participants to plan their party within a party. Some couples shared a table for two; Mary Calloway of Philadelphia preferred to share dinner with her date, Jamil Jackson. She sewed a table runner and included African elements to complement the color scheme and theme.
Some reserved a long table with friends. Jodi Eppler was the coordinator who encouraged her neighbors from East Marlborough Township to attend. Several tables of women friends took advantage of the “night out on the town” to decorate their table, talk and share lots of laughs. The theme of one “ladies” table was Cuba, complete with cigar boxes at each table setting and flan for dessert.
David Eppler sports sunshine yellow shoes at Brandywine in Black.
According to Jan Geddes of Kennett Square, Wilmington attorney Diane Bartels was the “creative genius” behind their table decor, which won first prize for the third year in a row. Bartels’ Roaring Twenties theme included an elegant handmade chandelier lamp and hand-painted wine glasses. Lots of dangling pearls, long, cigarette holders and feathers appeared in the women’s hair.
Some people brought a dish to share and joined the community table. No one sat silent for long at the community table. The evening’s friendly and casual atmosphere encouraged people to share food, wine and stories. Business cards were exchanged and hugs were shared at evening’s end.
Mary Calloway, a “table leader” for Philadelphia’s Diner en Blanc, loves attending the Brandywine version. She explained that her job as a table leader in Philly entails guiding a group of 25 people through the city on public transportation to the surprise location of the event. People bring their own tables and chairs, linens, tableware and food.
The Young Friends of the Brandywine display rubber ducky-inspired table décor.
“It’s crazy,” Calloway said. “It’s like a combination of ‘The Great Race’ and a dinner party. Brandywine in Black is much calmer.”
Brandywine in Black originated when organizer Vince Moro couldn’t get a ticket to Philly’s Diner en Blanc several years ago. So he decided to throw his own party, “Brandywine in White,” on his property in Chadds Ford. The group that attended was enthusiastic about doing it again, but moving forward, they decided to make the event a fundraiser.
Since then, the Brandywine in White/Black dinners have raised money for such nonprofits as Friends of Wilmington Parks, Sunday Breakfast Mission, and the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
Brandywine in Black founder Vince Moro (right) takes a break from last-minute preparations with Elizabeth Roche. Photo by Magdalena Bel
As people finished eating, the mood became subdued, but not for long. At 9 p.m., Moro and his partner, real-estate agent Elizabeth Roche, officially opened the dance floor, and the party revved up to a new level. DJ Mark Rogers knew exactly what kind of music to play for the crowd and kept them dancing beyond the dance floor to all three floors of the museum.
Reflecting on the quirkiness of Brandywine in Black, Cawley mused about keeping the location of the gala a secret until just before the event date. “Since we know there is no Santa Claus, there are few surprises left at this age,” he said. “It’s fun to try and figure out where the party’s going to be.”
Geddes said she looks forward to the event each year. “It’s like a pop-up picnic for folks from age 30 to 80,” she said. What can be more fun than that?
Lora has a passion for art, gardening, yoga, music and dancing. She continues to research the life of locally born abolitionist and 1998 National Women's Hall of Fame inductee Mary Ann Shadd Cary. She is a dedicated community volunteer, working with the American Association of University Women, Wilmington, DE branch (programs chair), Chadds Ford Historical Society (former board member) and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
Lora lives in Birmingham Township with her husband Bill and son Brad. Daughter Erika lives in Pittsburgh with husband Bob and baby Wilhelmina. She is a former French, Spanish and ESL teacher, bilingual life insurance underwriter and public relations coordinator for Delaware Art Museum and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
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.
Somebody had something wrong and it made it look as if the water at Chadds Ford Elementary School was bad. It’s not, though. The bogus information was the fault of a typo — a misplaced decimal point.
According to Superintendent of Schools John Sanville, the water is fine.
In an email to parents, Sanville said:
“You may have seen a story stating that the water at Chadds Ford Elementary School has unsafe levels of lead — this simply is not true – our water is safe. The Environmental Protection Agency requires us to test our water every three months — the official results of this testing have given Chadds Ford Elementary School water a clean bill of health. It appears that a typographical error got Chadds Ford ES mistakenly placed on an EPA violation list.
“The test results cited in recent media articles are from September of 2013 — I have included the analytical report from that testing. The report indicates a reading of .012 mg/L (12 parts per billion) — well within healthy guidelines as determined by the EPA. However, the EPA report incorrectly indicates a reading of .12 mg/L (120 parts per billion) — this is simply an error that became a story for some media outlets.
“Despite the misplaced decimal point and shoddy investigative reporting – Chadds Ford ES water is completely safe. We will continue to regularly test our water to ensure that it is clean and healthy for all.
“If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me directly,” he writes.
Randell Spackman, with one of the organ consoles, wants to start holding pipe organ concerts in his barn at Thornbury Farm. How long it will take to get the entire organ working is uncertain.
The sound of pipe organ music might begin wafting through the air along the Brandywine Battlefield sometime this year.
Randell Spackman, owner of Thornbury Farms, has four sets of pipes, two controllers, and a pair of air blowers in his barn and is eager to put them all together and have some organ music concerts. He said he’s already been talking with people at the Sanderson Museum in the hopes of having a square dance at his barn this summer.
Chris Sanderson used to have square dances there, and Sparkman sees this as a way to bring back more of the farm’s history. The farm was also a part of the battlefield during the 1777 Battle of Brandywine.
Getting the organ up and running is not a sudden passing fancy for Spackman. Coming into possession of the individual pieces has happened over time and is based on his love of the sound.
Two sets of pipes are in the rafters. Another two still need to be installed.
“I always had a love for pipe organs, the complexity of them. The music [tonal range] was always so full. It has a depth that speakers can’t bring out,” he said.
Spackman, like his late father, Tom, before him, has an abiding interest in preserving the history of the farm and the region, and his interest in the organ falls into that category.
“As I learned about them, I became more inquisitive, and I learned about some organ parts that were going to be cut up and made into tables. I bought them to save them,” Spackman said.
With a little help from friends and others who share his enthusiasm, Spackman formed Thornbury Pipe Organ, a nonprofit organization of volunteers who will refurbish and reassemble all the equipment to bring the full rich sound back to life in a place that’s not a normal concert hall.
“My idea is to have concerts, events, and just have people be able to play the organ here in a different atmosphere…The people who learned about me wanting to have my own pipe organ really identified with that.”
As word spread through a variety of organizations, Spackman learned of other pieces’ becoming available, how they work and what work would be needed to get those various elements working together.
One of the consoles — the part that contains the keyboard and other controls — came from a church in Georgia. That one piece alone weighs a half a ton, he said, and will help control the entire organ, which, he added, will actually be four organs in one.
A second console was designed to play music during the old silent movie days, something Spackman said he wants to be able to do at the barn: show old silent movies and have someone play the organ during the showing.
The four organs are the four sets of pipes, Spackman explained, and they are the valuable part of the organ.
“The consoles are how you work the pipes. They’re the interface. But the soul of the organ is the pipes.”
He has more than 5,000 pipes, some as small as a pencil, others 16 to 18 feet tall, he said.
“Each organ has a story, like a baby book, and I think I’m only the steward,” Spackman said. “A couple of people wanted to buy parts of them, but I don’t want to do that because I want the organs’ integrity to be whole. Once they’re split up, they’re gone forever.”
And what he has, he said, is unique.
“There are only about seven organs like this in the country. It’s very rare to have this eclectic type of combination,” he said.
One of the four organs dates back to the 1880s. That will be incorporated with the other pipes, one dating back to the 1920s, and another that was made in 1918. One set of pipes came from the old Prince Theater in Philadelphia, he said.
A five horsepower blower needs to be wired and connected to provide a steady stream of air to the organ’s pipes.
Spackman bought pieces as they became available, a process he likened to buying a car one piece at a time, a tire today, a fender tomorrow.
In getting everything ready for the types of concert experience that Spackman envisions, the volunteers of Thornbury Pipe Organ would have a lot to do. He said there’s a lot of wires that need to be soldered to valves, thousands of pipes to be cleaned and other pieces sorted, among other things. They also need to get a five-horsepower air blower to work properly so it can deliver the right amount of air through the pipes.
When asked how long that might take, Spackman laughed and referenced an old TV commercial, “That would be like asking how many licks you need to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.”
After the joke, he said getting everything up and running together would take several years.
One point that can’t be avoided is economics. It takes money to get it all done. Spackman said the word is getting out and that had resulted in some donations. He speculated that it would take about $100,000 to get the organ operational. Replacing it, though, would cost about $2 million, he said.
Donations are coming in, he said, and more people are offering to help with the work. That could shorten the time frame, but Spackman can’t yet say how much time can be saved.
The next step for Thornbury Pipe Organ, he said, is to become “a consistent volunteer organization with people who are passionate about preserving our musical heritage and mechanical music.”
Anyone interested in helping out or learning more by taking a tour should contact Spackman at www.thornburyfarmcsa.com or by phoning 610-793-2933.
Active threat and reunification on a school campus will be addressed at the bi-annual Safe Schools Summit on Thursday, April 7.
From 5 to 8:30 p.m., school administrators, school board directors, law enforcement, teachers and parents are invited to learn more about responding to and recovering from an active shooter scenario. The Safe Schools Summit will be held in the auditorium of Phoenixville High School, 386 City Line Avenue, Phoenixville, 19460. The event will also be available for live streaming on CCiTV (ccitv.cciu.org), said a press release from the Chester County Intermediate Unit.
The evening will feature keynote speakers from a variety of law enforcement agencies and school officials. The speakers will be followed by a moderated panel discussion with audience participation.
The summit will focus on several key areas of active threat scenarios, including: how police respond to an active shooter situation; the importance of school communications plans; and the necessity of creating follow up procedures to assist with parent/guardian and child reunification, the release said.
Adrienne Phillips Wickersham, 95, of Kennett Square, died of natural causes on Sunday, March 27, at her home in Kendal at Crosslands. The older of two children, Adrienne was born to Adrienne (McMahon) and Edmund Phillipson April 27, 1920 in New York, New York. She attended Houghton College in Houghton, New York, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications engineering. Upon graduation, she was employed by the United States Army Signal Corps as a transmission engineer before taking a similar position with ITT, where she also held positions in systems engineering and publications administration for various ITT companies and later Computer Science Corporation.
In 1946, she married Wilfred H. Wickersham, and together they raised two sons, William and Edmund, in Nutley and Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Upon retiring from ITT, Adrienne enjoyed a variety of jobs in and around her community. She was administrator of the 1970 Census of Bergen County, New Jersey, and was manager of the Upper Saddle River Swim and Tennis Club, of which she was a founding member. As one who enjoyed singing, Adrienne was a long-standing member of Sweet Adelines International, one of the world’s largest a cappella singing organizations for women.
In 1977, Adrienne and Wilfred moved to Kendal Crosslands, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. As founding residents, they embraced the CCRC concept and helped shape the growth and feel of their new community. She and her husband traveled extensively during their retirement and introduced an entertaining photography slide series at Crosslands called “The World Around Us,” which was always well attended. Over the years, Adrienne held several volunteer roles at Crosslands, such as manager of the Sunflower Shop, manager of the swimming pool, and member of the Residents’ Association, food committee, and Crosslands Chorus. Much later in life, she was thrilled to become a grandmother and thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with Ed and his family. For the last several years, Adrienne had the distinction of being the last living founder of Crosslands.
Adrienne is predeceased by her husband and sons. She is survived by her granddaughters, Kate and Elena; her daughter-in-law, Lisa; and her late brother Jack’s children, Larry, Beckie, and Jeff Phillips.
A memorial service to celebrate Adrienne’s life and generous spirit will be held at Crosslands, 1660 East Street Road in Kennett Square, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 23.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the World Wildlife Fund (worldwildlife.org/donate) or an environmental charity of one’s own choice
Joanne Parsons Barker, 85, of Kennett Square, died Friday, April 1, at Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester. She was the wife of Wade H. Barker, with whom she shared 64 years of marriage.
Born in Kennett Square, she was the daughter of the late Newton and Ruth Loller Parsons..
Mrs. Barker was a tour coordinator at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, retiring in 1985 after 21 years of service.
She was a member of the Hamorton United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Barker enjoyed music, watching sports on TV, going on vacation to the beach with her family, and especially being with her family and friends.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by one son, David S. Barker of Kennett Square; one daughter, Dianne B. Bramble of West Grove; one sister, Ramona Waltz of Kennett Square, two grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
She was predeceased by one sister, Nan Parsons.
You are invited to visit with her family from 1 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, at the Hamorton United Methodist Church, 1052B East Baltimore Pike (Route 1), Hamorton, PA 19348. Her memorial service will follow at 2. Burial will be private.
In memory of Joanne, a contribution may be made to the Hamorton United Methodist Church at the above address.
