Notes
The Life of Frances Anne Wister
By: Bob Delp
"Frances Anne Wister was born on November 26th, 1874. Her place of birth is somewhat of a mystery. Records located in the Germantown Historical Society list her place of birth at Grumblethorpe, former house of John Wister, built in 1744, and located in historic Germantown (Obituary). However, her birth certificate lists her place of birth as being located at what is now the LaSalle University Fine Arts Studio, on Clarkson Avenue.
"Frances Anne was the third child of William Rotch Wister and Mary Eustis. They had a total of five children, one of whom, William, died in infancy. Her younger brother, who did survive, was named John Caspar Wister. Frances Anne also had two sisters, Mary Channing Wister, and Ella Wister Haines. Frances Anne Wister was named after the famous British actress, Frances Anne (Fanny) Kemble...
"Frances Anne went on to become a Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She also became chairman of the Women’s Committees of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1910 until her death in 1956. becoming one of the top orchestras in the world.
"In the early 1930s, Frances Anne became interested in the preservation of historic houses. In 1931, she founded the Society for the Preservation of Landmarks. She also served as its first president. Landmarks was the first preservation society of its kind. One of the houses that it saved from demolition was the Powel house, home of the former mayor of Philadelphia, who passed away during the yellow fever epidemic in the 1790s. Through the efforts of Frances Anne, she was able to save the Powel house from becoming an open-air garage...
"Another house that Landmarks preserved was the historic house of Grumblethorpe. Built by John Wister in 1744, this house was up for demolition. Frances Anne aroused public interest to ensure the preservation of the house and its garden. She also helped raise the money that was necessary in order to restore the historic house to the colonial exterior that it possessed when it was first constructed in 1744. Grumblethorpe, located in historic Germantown, is now a museum open to the public. The other two houses that Landmarks owned and operated were the Waynesborough house and the Physick House, which were other houses that have been preserved in their colonial style...
"Frances Anne was elected as the Director to the Pennsylvania Parks Association Board. In 1949, she turned over "Wister" and seven and one-third acres of land to the Fairmount Park Commission. This later became part of the Wister Woods Park. Frances Anne was called the Patroness of the Orchestra and Parks. She later became chairman of a group to save Cobbs Creek Valley. When this proved successful, she was appointed by the court as chairman of Powder Mill Park. She also was member of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, where she served as a member on the board of trustees."
(Source: LaSalle University A Link to LaSalle's Past: http://www.lasalle.edu/commun/history/articles/francesannewister.htm)
