Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: April 1990 Volume 28 Number 2, Pages 81–82

Notes and Comments

• Church Building Destroyed by Fire
• Wharton Esherick Museum Appoints Director
• Valley Forge Elementary School Receives Freedom Medal
• New Superintendent at Valley Forge Park
• New Club Officers

Page 81

Church Building Destroyed by Fire

In February the old McMichael mansion on West Valley Road in Devon, since 1961 the home of the Main Line Unitarian Church, was virtually destroyed by fire. The damage to the building was estimated at about one million dollars by Elwood Adams, the chief of the Berwyn Fire Company. Despite the loss, the Rev. Bradford Greeley, pastor of the church, predicted that the church would "grow stronger from this adversity".

The church was founded in 1958 by about fifteen families in the area. It is now the second largest Unitarian congregation in the Delaware Valley, with about 600 members in the congregation. Until a new location is found for their Sunday services they will be held at the nearby St. Davids Episcopal Church. A double trailer has been placed adjacent to the ruins of the former church building to serve temporarily as the church office.

Wharton Esherick Museum Appoints Director

Since January Robert Leonard has been director of the Wharton Esherick Museum on the Horse-Shoe Trail north of Paoli. The appointment is part of a long-range plan to help the museum evolve from an organization dependent on the family, and a relatively few friends and volunteers, to a public organization that will provide the collection with perpetual care.

The museum was started in 1971, a year after Esherick's death, to exhibit his work, including paintings, sculpture, and hand-crafted furniture and accessories. Esherick's work, Leonard observed shortly after his appointment, "bridged the difference between art and craft", adding that the museum represents "a preservation of a significant part of American art history and [is] an inspiration to American students".

Page 82

Valley Forge Elementary School Receives Freedom Medal

The Valley Forge Elementary School and its Parent-Teacher Organization was awarded a Freedom Medal by the Freedoms Foundation for its "Heritage Month" program in February last year.

The program was planned to acquaint the students with the various cultures from which their individual heritages are derived, and featured the music, dances, food and crafts of different countries, among them Russia, Italy, Thailand, Egypt, Ireland and Scotland.

New Superintendent at Valley Forge Park

Warren D. Beach has been named the new superintendent at Valley Forge National Park. He succeeds Wallace Elms, who is now superintendent of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.

Beach started his career with the Park Service in 1962 as a park ranger. He comes to Valley Forge from the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Dunwoody, Georgia. He described his new post as "like a dream come true". He became familiar with Valley Forge Park while he was a ranger at the nearby Hopewell National Historic Site and, he reported, with his wife have "looked longingly" at it ever since it became a part of the National Park system.

New Club Officers

As noted on the first page, Ginny Mentzer is now president of the Tredyffrin Easttown History Club, and Libby Weaver is the recording secretary. They succeed Grace Winthrop and Eleanor Chworowsky, respectively, both of whom we thank for the many contributions they made during their terms of office.