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Weekly News May 23, 2005Description
Not energetic enough for a new story tonight, I revert to one the house docents may be familiar with. Israel Marshall (1850-1911) was 46 and his wife Elizabeth "Lizzie" (1854-1930) was 42 when the family moved into Auburn Heights in 1897. Their children were Joseph Warren (1881-1953), Anna Howard (1883-1986), and Thomas Clarence (1885-1969). Israel lived only 14 more years, much of it in failing health, and Lizzie ran Auburn Heights as a widow for 10 more years. The last 9 years of her life were spent in an apartment in Wilmington, where she died at the age of 75. Warren was married in the front hall at Auburn Heights in June, 1907, 4 years before his father's death, and moved with his bride, Bertha Lamborn Marshall (1883-1962) to Kennett Square. The next year, however, they built a bungalow above the new fibre mills in Yorklyn 7/10 of a mile from Auburn Heights. Anna married Norman B. Mancill (1881-1937) on January 25, 1912, 7 months after her father's death, also in the front hall at Auburn Heights. Off and on, they lived at Auburn Heights with her mother and her bachelor brother, Clarence. Norman Clarence Mancill (1914-1988) was born in the northeast bedroom on November 28, 1914, the only birth ever to take place in the house. On June 4, 1921, Clarence married Esther Livezey Shallcross (1885-1979) in Old Drawyers Church near Odessa, and she became the new hostess of Auburn Heights.
Last Thursday, Herman Feissner and Richard Bernard reviewed for the group the problems and solutions for guest parking across the road. They pointed out that for parking to work well, our scheduled rides must also work well, so there are no long waits and back-ups. Some improvement has been made by the State Parks Division, and Herman and Richard plan to line the parking lot this Thursday evening.
The educational visit of the 10th and 11th graders from Hodgson Vo-Tech turned out well despite the steady rain last Friday, 5/20. There were 27 students and about 5 adults. Brandywine Region, AACA, the sponsor of the event, was represented by Bob Wilson, George Barczewski, Rose Ann Hoover, and Emil Christofano, who all contributed to the program, Bill Schwoebel demonstrated the Model CX (under the shed in the rain), and Butch Cannard gave all a rainy ride in the Mountain Wagon around the grounds. Because of the weather, they had their picnic in the Museum. BRAACA will make a contribution to FAHP for our efforts. Later that day, Jim Personti drove the '32 Packard into Wilmington and displayed it at the Lorelton Retirement Home, and he reported that all went well.
We are entering the final count-down for our Directors' and Advisors' Reception Friday evening, May 27, and the "Steamin' Sunday" event on May 29. For the earlier event, I have the team in place I've asked to run the event, all non-directors. We are expecting less than 30 guests, some of whom are our regular volunteers, but some of whom will be interested in learning more about us and what we have and do here. Brent McDougall and Bill Schwoebel have Sunday's schedule well in hand, good publicity has been promised, and we're hoping for good weather and a good crowd. SPECIAL NOTICE TO ALL "STATIONS": Please PUNCH visitors' tickets, whether for one of the rides, the Museum, or the popcorn. This is important.
The cars are back in order in the Museum, but some need to be cleaned up and the brass polished. The Mountain Wagon should be thoroughly checked over before Friday's event. We will not have the cars roped off Friday night, but we will want to do this for Sunday's crowd. Steve and Steven Jensen were here tonight, we checked side-bearing clearance on the wooden cars (the blue car seemed to have none), and the Jensens painted around Lakeside Park Station. Willard Robinson finished the lattice work around the little ticket office, and Ed Hoffmeister, Emil Christofano, and Jerry Novak wired up this building, so it is ready for light and heat. There is some painting to do there in the next day or so, and the gas pump and lamp post should be painted. We may try to get some sort of chain barrier erected along the tunnel wing-walls, to reduce a potential hazard. Jim Sank is painting some on-site directional signs, which I hope to have by Sunday's event. We are awaiting the return of our locomotive safety valves; if necessary, possibly someone could go to Bridgeport, NJ, to pick them up if the time is too close for UPS to guarantee their delivery. Butch Cannard printed all our tickets for the upcoming event, and I'm gradually getting them cut and sorted.
Jim Mitchell of Woodside Farm Creamery will be here on Sunday with his ice cream trailer, and we'd like to plan a return visit as an "Ice Cream Run" on Thursday evening, June 23. Jerry Novak expressed interest in the Memorial Day Parade in Kennett Square on May 30 (with one of the Packards), and we hope there will be others. Mike May and Bob Reilly and their wives plan to be with us for this week's meetings and festivities, and perhaps they'd like to drive two steamers if we're not all exhausted after Sunday.
A note from Bill Schwoebel tells us that he was hit yesterday on Interstate 80 near Hazleton and his Honda probably totaled. He was not hurt- we assume Cathy was with him and maybe Steve and Vicki, but fortunately, no injuries are reported. They had to rent a car to get home. Bill sent me an E-mail about other things, and at the end said "and by the way, I got hit, etc.". We hope all is O.K. with the Schwoebel family. I'll see most of you soon, and thanks. Tom
