Blogging Along the Brandywine A Brandywine Experience
We’ve all had the experience when we’re informed, “Online tickets go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m.” You’re there on your cell phone or at your desktop, ready to pounce.
I lost out on Canadian Brass tickets at Longwood Gardens last year as I watched the last seats evaporate before my eyes. Devastating, to say the least.
The online tickets for the NC Wyeth Mural Experience go like lightning, too. We missed out on the first series of tours but were lucky to sign up for one of the Spring Tours. And the magic journey to “Apotheosis of the Family” is well worth it.
The early April day dawned chilly and grey with a hint of drizzle in the air. Ugh!
Not what I was hoping for as I pulled on my leggings, boots, and quilted parka.
Each tour is limited to only 6 people with transportation from the Brandywine Museum of Art.
The first stop, the NC Wyeth Studio, is only a short distance from the Brandywine Museum of Art. Here we would discover how N.C. Wyeth painted his massive works, such as “Apotheosis of the Family.”
As we stepped out of the van, a welcome hint of spring air arose from the surrounding woods while the chirping of the birds stirred something in me. This wasn’t going to be so bad.
It was a very strange feeling walking through the N.C. Wyeth studio as if we were intruders. It was quiet as we each discovered treasures at our own pace.
The studio was not just home to easels, brushes, and palettes, but home to props for his paintings: Western saddles, smooth- bored muskets, a massive and intricate model of a square-rigged sailing ship; a flax wheel, gorgeous frames waiting to be filled; a full-sized birch bark canoe, and more. But there, on an almost hidden corner table next to an easel with the painting, was a familiar large green glass bottle. My favorite NC Wyeth had come to life. The Dusty Bottle (1924).
But it was time to resume our tour down beautiful and winding historic Route 100, over the state line to nearby Delaware, then a long private drive which would bring us almost back to Pennsylvania. This was Point Lookout Farm, the home of Jamie and the late Phyllis Wyeth. The farm was once home to Phyllis Wyeth’s 2012 Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags. That morning, we were fortunate enough to see one of his elegant chestnut daughters out in her paddock.
After a short stroll through the stable, we emerged to a breathtaking view of the Brandywine Valley farm with the round barn a few steps below.
From the hill, the view was something out of an Andrew Wyeth painting. The trees still had not yet come out in leaves, and a grey mist still hung over the distant hill. Our docent pointed out that while the nearby pond was in Delaware, the large barn in the distance and the second pond were in Pennsylvania!
Jamie Wyeth built the barn in the summer of 2025 to house the now-restored mural painted by his grandfather in 1932. And at 19 feet high and 60 feet long, it is the largest mural ever created by the artist.
Entering the barn was truly the experience the tour had promised. The dim lighting with tasteful lights illuminating the mural made it almost a surreal experience. No one spoke. Just 6 of us, dwarfed by a mural. It was a feeling somewhere between awe and honor. Here we were standing in front of a great masterpiece that few had yet to see.
The intimacy of the small group, the peaceful beauty of the Brandywine Valley, and the mural experience itself far exceeded any of my expectations.
And…I got to see the dusty bottle.
Tickets for the spring tours through June 27 are sold out, but you can get on a list for the summer tours that will advise you of the next ticket release date.
About Sally Denk Hoey
Sally Denk Hoey, is a Gemini - one part music and one part history. She holds a masters degree cum laude from the School of Music at West Chester University. She taught 14 years in both public and private school. Her CD "Bard of the Brandywine" was critically received during her almost 30 years as a folk singer. She currently cantors masses at St Agnes Church in West Chester where she also performs with the select Motet Choir. A recognized historian, Sally serves as a judge-captain for the south-east Pennsylvania regionals of the National History Day Competition. She has served as president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates as well as the Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford where she now curates the violin collection. Sally re-enacted with the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment for 19 years where she interpreted the role of a campfollower at encampments in Valley Forge, Williamsburg, Va., Monmouth, N.J. and Lexington and Concord, Mass. Sally is married to her college classmate, Thomas Hoey, otherwise known as "Mr. Sousa.”
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