Company
K-1 Reunion in Pennsylvania…
"At the invitation of Hugh and Ann Trumbull, the men and ladies of Company K-1,
Class of '58, enjoyed five full days (May
17-21, 2011)
of planned events in the Philadelphia-Valley Forge-King of Prussia area.
In attendance:
Tom and Barbara Sands, Bob and Susie Barker, Norm and Toni Gustitus, Ron and
Barbara Bellows, Brad and Carol Johnson, Bill and Ann Shely, Lynn and Joan
Shrader, Margaret Groves w/daughter Charlotte, Pat Hidalgo w/daughters Val &
Wendy, Hugh and Ann Trumbull, Bill and Edna Mae Serchak"
Hugh's well-planned activities included:
+Longwood
Gardens in Kennett Square
(Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and
meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, in the Brandywine Creek Valley. It is
one of the premier botanical gardens in the United States and is open to
visitors year-round to enjoy exotic plants and horticulture (both indoor and
outdoor), events and performances, seasonal and themed attractions, as well as
take part in educational lectures, courses and workshops)...
+The
Hagley Museum in Wilmington, DE
(The Hagley Museum exhibits history from the early years of the du Pont family
and corporation in the Brandywine Valley. It features the original du Pont
mills, estate and gardens--the E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company's black powder
manufactory became the largest in the world)...
+The
Winterthur Museum and Country Estate (an
American
estate and
museum
in
Winterthur,
Delaware,
now housing one of the most important collections of
Americana
in the country. It was the former home of
Henry Francis du Pont
(1880–1969), a renowned
antiques
collector and
horticulturist
whose father, Henry Algernon DuPont graduated from West Point in 1861, and
grandfather, Henry DuPont, Class of 1833)...
+Center
City Historical Sites
(Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Constitution Center, Kosciuszko House &
the Polish Museum)...
+Valley
Forge
(The six month encampment of the Continental Army of the newly formed United
States of America under the command of General George Washington, a few miles
from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)...
+Lunches and dinners at the historic
City Tavern
in the city and the
General Warren Inn, Malvern
with a grand finale' dinner party at "Chez
Trumbull" in Paoli...
***************************
NOTE: Each subsequent photo-essay will portray one or more of the events enjoyed
by the participants.
Parts 1 & 2 include our visits to Longwood Gardens, Winterthur and the dinner at the Historic General Warren Inn, Malvern, PA. Photos from our visits to Center City, Philadelphia, the Hagley Museum and Valley Forge will be shown in later installments.
The schedule for the K-1 reunion:
Tuesday, 17 May
Welcome to Valley Forge with drinks and hors
d'oeuvres in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, King of
Prussia followed by dinner at the nearby Bahama
Breeze restaurant.
Wednesday, 18 May
Car pool convoy to Longwood Gardens; lunch
at the Longwood Cafe.
Optional Tours in the afternoon to Brandywine River
Museum, Winterthur, or the Hagley Museum.
Cocktails and dinner at the Historic General Warren
Inn, Malvern, PA
Thursday, 19 May
Bus departs for center city Philadelphia. Optional tours of
Visitors' Center, Liberty Bell Pavilion, and
Independence Hall.
(Edna Mae and I visited the nearby National Museum of American Jewish History,
instead)
Lunch at City Tavern (Edna Mae and I had a 'kosher'
lunch at the Jewish History Museum.)
Tour of Constitution Center before returning
to Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Optional dinner on your own.
Friday, 20 May
Car pool convoy to Valley Forge Park, movie
at visitors' center, park tour in autos guided by audio disks in each car.
Optional lunch arrangements and afternoon activities including the
Barnes Foundation.
Optional dinner on your own.
Saturday, 21 May
Optional activities including tour into Lancaster
County Amish Markets, Wharton Eshrick Studio, and local shopping.
(Edna Mae and I visited Analytical Graphics Incorporated (AGI) - the company
founded by Hugh Trumbull about 21 years ago. The tour of the facility was hosted
by Hugh's daughter,
Donna (Trumbull) Milewski.)
For more information on AGI... See
http://www.agi.com/
Buffet dinner at "Chez Trumbulls" in Paoli,
PA
***********************************
DAY 1 Tuesday, 17 May
Welcome to Valley Forge with drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the Crowne Plaza
Hotel, King of Prussia followed by dinner at the nearby Bahama Breeze
restaurant.
DAY 2 Wednesday, 18 May
Car pool convoy to Longwood Gardens; lunch at the Longwood Cafe.
Optional Tours in the afternoon to Brandywine River Museum, Winterthur, or the
Hagley Museum.
Cocktails and dinner at the Historic General Warren Inn, Malvern, PA
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres (4.2 km²) of gardens, woodlands,
and meadows in
Kennett
Square,
Pennsylvania,
United
States
in the
Brandywine Creek Valley.
It is one of the premier
botanical
gardens
in the United States and is open to visitors year-round to enjoy exotic plants
and horticulture (both indoor and outdoor), events and performances, seasonal
and themed attractions, as well as take part in educational lectures, courses
and workshops.
What is now Longwood Gardens was originally purchased from
William Penn
in 1700 by a fellow Quaker named George Peirce (1646–1734). Although it started
as a working farm, in 1798 twin brothers Joshua and Samuel Peirce planted the
first specimens of an
arboretum,
originally named Peirce’s Park, and has been open to the public almost
continuously since that time. By 1850 they had amassed one of the finest
collections of trees in the nation.
Industrialist
Pierre S.
du Pont
(1870–1954) purchased the property from the Peirce family in 1906 to save the
arboretum from being sold for lumber. He made it his private estate, and from
1906 until the 1930s, du Pont added extensively to the property. A world
traveler from an early age, du Pont was often inspired to add features to the
garden after attending world's fairs, the most notable additions being the
massive conservatory, complete with a massive
pipe organ,
and the extensive system of
fountains.
Mr. Du Pont opened his estate to the public many days of the year during his
occupancy and was even known, on a rare occasion, to personally (and
anonymously) provide tours to visitors as happened one day with a lady requiring
a wheelchair, as reported by
Random House
publisher,
Bennett Cerf.
Following the completion of the fountains, du Pont began planning for the
sustained life of Longwood Gardens after his death. According to his will, filed
in Delaware and dated March 21, 1946, he founded Longwood Foundation Inc. and
left most of his estate "for the maintenance and improvement of the gardens."
Upon du Pont’s unexpected death April 5, 1954, Henry B. du Pont, president of
the Longwood Foundation, announced, "There will be no change in our
long-standing policy of opening the gardens and greenhouse to the public every
day in the week."
Today, the 1,077-plus acre Longwood Gardens consists of 20 outdoor gardens and
20 indoor gardens within 4.5 acres (18,200 m²) of heated greenhouses, known as
conservatories. It contains 11,000 different types of plants and trees, as well
as fountains. The Gardens also has extensive educational programs including a
tuition-free
two-year
school of professional horticulture,
a graduate program, and extensive internships. It hosts 800 horticultural and
performing arts events each year, from flower shows, gardening demonstrations,
courses, and children's programs to concerts, organ and carillon recitals,
musical theatre, fountain shows, and fireworks displays. It also hosts an
extensive Christmas light display during the holiday season.
Longwood's conservatory is one of the world's greatest greenhouse structures.
The conservatory alone is home to 5,500 types of plants. An exploration of the
20 indoor gardens spanning a half mile takes about an hour and a half. Gardens
of the conservatory, each with its own exquisite displays of plants, include The
Orangery, Silver Garden, Acacia Passage, Orchid House, Cascade Garden, Palm
House, Mediterranean Garden, Tropical Terrace and the Outdoor Water Garden
display. Since its original construction date in 1919, it has undergone
expansions and renovations. In January 2003, the East Conservatory was closed
for a renovation project, with the main hall reopening to the public on October
29, 2005.
The gardens attracted nearly 900,000 visitors during 2009 and plans for the
growth and expansion of Longwood Gardens for the next four decades began in 2010
with the hiring of
West 8,
a Dutch
landscape
architecture
and
urban
planning
firm with headquarters in
Rotterdam
and an office in
New York
City.
The founder of West 8, Adrian Geuze, stated their mission is: “to celebrate
Longwood, enjoy it, keep it, preserve it, while asking how could it function as
a spectacular place for larger groups of people in the 21st century." The
comprehensive Longwood plan is expected to be complete by July 2011.
See also:
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/
http://www.visitphilly.com/find-a/tag/longwood+gardens/
http://www.inusa.com/tour/pa/brandy/longwood.htm
