The Woodlands

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Visit our Tour Destination: Pennsylvania page to see the entire tour of the state’s Save America’s Treasures sites.

The Woodlands mansion, home of William Hamilton (1745-1813).
Photo courtesy of The Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Woodlands

4000 Woodland Avenue

Philadelphia, PA

Website:  The Woodlands

The Treasure:  Once the centerpiece of a large 18th century Philadelphia estate, The Woodlands mansion is a classic example of early Federal architecture.

Accessibility:  The grounds of The Woodlands are open from dawn to dusk. Check the website for information on events and tours.

Historic photo of The Woodlands mansion, circa 1900.
Photo courtesy of The Woodlands Trust
for Historic Preservation.

Background:  The west side of the Schuylkill River still reflects some of the botanical glory of its heyday in the late 18th century. Pioneering botanists John and William Bartram lived and worked along the banks here. And just around the river bend north of the Bartram estate was The Woodlands, a magnificent property developed by William Hamilton (1745-1813) as a base for his botanical pursuits.

Hamilton based his property design on English picturesque landscapes. Among the admirers of Hamilton's work was Thomas Jefferson who claimed it was the only American landscape that could compete with the best of Europe: “(T)he only rival which I have known in America to what may be seen in England.” In his greenhouses, Hamilton cultivated both imported plants and American native plants, notably including some seeds brought from the Lewis and Clark expeditions.

Hamilton was equally ambitious with his architectural choices. When he inherited the land in his early 20s, he built a classical villa and ornamented it with what may have been the first monumental portico in Philadelphia. Twenty years later, Hamilton rebuilt the house in the new style of British architects Robert and James Adam—converting his Woodlands mansion into one of the first American examples of the newly emerging Federal style.

During restoration, the original 18th century
wooden posts were exposed for the first
time in more than two centuries.
Photo courtesy of the Woodlands Trust
for Historic Preservation.

You can stroll through The Woodlands today and feel the draw of the past. In truth the landscape of The Woodlands is now more reflective of the Victorian rural cemetery tradition (the Woodlands Cemetery Company has flourished here since 1840), but much of the spirit of Hamilton remains. The Woodlands mansion remains a stunning reminder of Philadelphia’s tradition of grand estates. Save America’s Treasures funding contributed to historical research and restoration focused upon the portico, preserving a record of its original configuration and subsequent modifications in 1786, 1789, and the early 19th century, as well as roof restoration on the historic main carriage house.

Notes from the Editor:  My friend and co-worker Edith Mulhern wrote an eloquent love letter to the Woodland Cemetery:

Dear Woodlands Cemetery:

I’m so glad I found you. I spent years wandering in less lovely spots, and you were just lurking behind those gates across from the trolley portal…

Enjoy the rest of her tribute at Philly Love Notes!

In addition to the work on the mansion's portico, Save America's Treasures
funding was used to replace the deteriorated roofing and downspouts on the
historic main carriage house.
Photo courtesy of The Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation.

Historic print of the entrance to The Woodlands Cemetery.
Image courtesy of The Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation.

Other Recommended Sites:  For more botanical glory along the Schuylkill River, visit nearby Historic Bartram’s Garden, the oldest surviving botanic garden in the country and the home of the Bartram family (father John and sons John Jr. and William), friends and neighbors of William Hamilton.

A view of The Woodlands Cemetery.
Photo courtesy of The Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Taking a short sabbatical:  Will return for more Pennsylvania destinations in mid-April 2013.

© 2013 Lee Price

Destination: Pennsylvania

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I’ve chosen Pennsylvania for our next Tour America’s History destination in order to capitalize on the state’s current multi-year Save Pennsylvania’s Past initiative and the upcoming Pennsylvania’s 10 Most Endangered Artifacts campaign. Through my work at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia, I’m closely connected with both programs and eager to use my blog resources to promote them!

In January 2012, Tour America’s History was launched with a brief Philadelphia spotlight featuring blog entries on a dozen key sites. Those entries will now be folded into the mix as we move on to celebrate approximately 80 more sites in the state. The tour will bounce all around Pennsylvania, with major stops in Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Titusville, Gettysburg, Johnstown, and, of course, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia—uncovering fascinating history all along the way.

Included within this group are 15 collections where the conservation treatment work was conducted at my work place, the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. In several cases, I was even involved with the preparation of the grant requests to Save America’s Treasures. I’ll try not to play favorites, but, well… some of these places are very special to me.

I’ve worked in Pennsylvania for over 30 years and it was my home state for 15 years (before I crossed the Delaware River to New Jersey). Pennsylvania is a beautiful state abounding with rich history. It’ll be a pleasure to cover these sites.

For a more professional orientation to Pennsylvania tourism, there’s the official website VisitPA.com. Naturally, big cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have helpful tourist websites and so do many of the smaller cities and towns. A little googling should bring up plenty of advice on regional events, transportation, hotels, and restaurants.

Our Tour America’s History exploration of Pennsylvania’s 89 Save America’s Treasures sites begins next Tuesday.

That's me at Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright
architectural masterpiece in western Pennsylvania.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Tuesday’s destination:  The Woodlands

© 2013 Lee Price

Feehan Memorial Library, Mundelein Seminary

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Visit our Tour Destination: Illinois page to see the entire tour of the state’s
Save America’s Treasures sites.

Exterior of Feehan Memorial Library at Mundelein Seminary.
Photo courtesy of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/
Mundelein Seminary.

Feehan Memorial Library, Mundelein Seminary

1000 East Maple Avenue

Mundelein, IL

Website:  Feehan Memorial Library and McEssy Theological Resource Center

The Treasure:  The Feehan Memorial Library at Mundelein Seminary is home to a remarkable special collection of rare books and Americana.

Accessibility:  The Feehan Memorial Library is open daily.  Check the website for hours.

Cardinal George Mundelein in 1932.
Source:  Wikimedia Commons

Background:  Cardinal George Mundelein (1872-1939) had a passion for collecting. A widely respected Roman Catholic leader who served as Archbishop of Chicago from 1916 until his death in 1939, Cardinal Mundelein cherished his country and his faith.  For him, this meant a commitment to preserving records of the past. Mundelein’s collection of Americana, Presidential signatures, and autograph manuscripts of saints comprises a significant portion of the treasures of the Feehan Memorial Library at Mundelein Seminary. Other treasures can be found among the library’s rare books, many collected by John E. Rothensteiner (1860-1936), a parish priest who served in Fredericktown and St. Louis, Missouri. Combine these collections and it’s no wonder that the American Library Association named the Feehan Memorial Library one of the 250 World’s Greatest Libraries in 2010.

Nearly 75 years after his death, much of the campus of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary still bears the stamp of Cardinal Mundelein.  Feeling that Chicago needed a seminary for the formation of priests, Mundelein revived St. Mary’s College, which existed here from 1844 until 1866. Renamed the University of Saint Mary on the Lake, Mundelein’s new seminary opened in 1921.

The ceiling of the Feehan Memorial Library.
Photo courtesy of the University of Saint Mary
of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

A great school needs a great library and Mundelein had a vision for it, as well.  He had the architects base the interior of the Feehan Memorial Library on the 16th century Barberini Palace in Italy where Mundelein had completed his seminary training. Mundelein had his coat of arms incorporated into the tables and ceiling beams, with representations of bees (a symbol of the Barberini family) and the Virgin Mary.  He named the building the Feehan Memorial Library in remembrance of Chicago’s Archbishop Patrick Augustus Feehan (1829-1902).

Of course, the library is primarily focused upon books that serve for the education of priests—thousands of books on theology, scripture studies, and church history.  But the special collections are an unexpected surprise, full of treasures you might not expect to stumble across in this environment.  Here you find a land survey by George Washington, a collection of first-edition Charles Dickens books, a signed edition of Napoleon’s memoirs, a 15th century illuminated “Book of Hours,” a 1515 edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy, the first Bible printed in Gaelic, and major sets of autographs of American presidents and Catholic saints personally collected by Cardinal Mundelein.

Interior of the Feehan Memorial Library.
Photo courtesy of the University of Saint Mary
of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

Other Recommended Sites:  Mundelein Seminary is located in Lake County, Illinois, which forms the tip of the northeastern corner of the state. The Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda, Illinois interprets the history and culture of the county.  Here you can find the Curt Teich Postcard Archives, the largest public collection of postcards (365,000!) in the country.

Overhead image of the Feehan Memorial Library.
Photo courtesy of the University of Saint Mary
of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Coming next:  A tour of Pennsylvania’s Save America’s Treasures sites.

© 2013 Lee Price