Philadelphia Industrialists and Their Country Estates

This talk focuses on leading families and the businesses that once made Philadelphia known as the workshop of the world, from railroads, to coal, to canned soup. It highlights their Main Line and Chester County houses including many that may not be well known today, including Ballytore in Wynnewood, Chestnutwold in Devon, and Almonbury in Rosemont.

About the presenter: Jeff Groff recently retired as Estate Historian at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. He also had served as Director of Public Programs, and then as Director of Interpretation. For sixteen years he was Executive Director of Wyck Historic House and Garden in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. A graduate of Bates College where he majored in history, he holds an MA from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture of the University of Delaware. For over forty-five years he has studied and lectured on American country houses and gardens, particularly those of Philadelphia’s “Main Line” and surrounding areas, with an emphasis on country life and sports, and gentleman farming. He also served as co-curator of Winterthur’s very successful exhibitions “Costumes of Downton Abbey” and “Costuming The Crown.”

Admission is Pay as You Wish! A donation is greatly appreciated in support of our collections care and programming. If you are unable to make a donation at this time, a limited number of free tickets are available. This presentation WILL BE RECORDED and will be available to view for 7 days.

Register Here!