Chris Mendel, Executive Director of The Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, has described in detail the 38 acres of woods and streams recently donated by the MacPhee family.
The story comes on the heels of the Trust’s June announcement that it has taken under its wing a parcel of land harboring old-growth oaks and beeches, a wetlands and a pristine tributary to Pennypack Creek. The Trust now has 900 acres of open land to its name.
According to Mendel, the MacPhee property was previously maintained by a household staff that included a full-time chauffeur, gardener, gamekeeper, and several house staff who tended to the property through the 1950s.
From Mendel’s writing:
Grand rose gardens, an exquisitely designed rectangular pond, large vegetable gardens, paddocks for swans and turkeys, and a carefully repeated theme of stone walls tied these outdoor spaces together into a grand estate. A full-time chauffeur, gardener, gamekeeper, and several house staff tended to the property through the 1950’s. As a trained landscape architect, the very idea of what was built here and how it ran gets my mind churning!
Domestic and wild animals are clearly something the family enjoyed having around. Turkeys, swans, ducks, chickens, peacocks, even raccoons were part of the landscape. Recalling aspects of his childhood, Alex said that “I’m not sure if it was more of a garden or a zoo.”
Over the last 120 years, the property has changed from a production farm to “pleasure gardens” to a naturalized state. The house, its gardens and out-buildings are concentrated in a quarter of the property. The rest is natural and largely forested.
“This is not a responsibility we take lightly,” Mendel wrote. “And it will take resources to do this job properly. But let’s take this moment to take a breath, wonder at this wonderful opportunity, and appreciate the family that made this possible. This is the stuff that holds us together.”
The Macphee property today
For the full story, you can click here.
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.
Photos courtesy of Pennypack Trust