Richard Prigg, proprietor of Sycamore Stained Glass in Lansdowne, presented Arts and Crafts in Stained Glass at Thunderbird Lodge on Sunday November 11. Prigg is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was the general manager of Willett Hauser Architectural glass. The audience who eschewed the Eagles game learned that traditional stained glass is clear and that opalescent stained glass made popular by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the late 19th century was considered by purists as a fad.

Mr. Prigg also provided history on Nichola D’Ascenzio and his collaborative efforts with William and Walter Price. Photos of the stained glass in Rose Valley like the example below are included in the 2016 Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society calendar which can be still purchased for a reduced price of $10 plus shipped (if required) while supplies last. Contact  info@rosevalleymuseum.org to order yours.

While Thunderbird Lodge has no stained glass, it rose to occasion for the event with a stunning display of color of its own framed by the pillars of the lower studio deck.

Quite a turnout for the raising of the flag over The Rose Valley Heritage Garden and Veterans Memorial this morning at sunrise as each vet shared their story of their service to our Country. Thanks to Jim and Connor McGaffin of Rose Valley Boy Scout Troop 272 and Mayor Tim Plummer for conducting the flag raising ceremony.

Will Price began the masquerade tradition in Rose Valley; it continued last night at the Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society’s Masquerade at Thunderbird Lodge. Charles and Alice Stephens (or at least reasonable facsimiles) were on hand to welcome guests.  The highlight of the evening was the live auction in the Lower Studio. Harvey the Entertainer (aka Harvey in the Morning from the radio to local oldsters) did a phenomenal and very funny job during as our auctioneer. Proceeds will go to pay for the Museum’s collection and ongoing Museum expenses. It was a wonderful, wonderful night in Rose Valley.

Auction items were previewed in the Upper Studio. Guests wined and dined in the living and dining rooms of the main house. The costumes were fabulous.  Museum Curator Ryan Berley was dressed as Will Price in his role in the Mikado.

Do you have your ticket for the big event on October 29th? Don a costume or come as yourself, but don’t miss an evening of fun at this fundraiser. A live auction of art, furniture, dinner for 8 and more benefits the Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society, which plans to open a permanent museum at Thunderbird Lodge next year. To get your ticket, while they last, visit http://rosevalleymuseum.org/Masquerade.html

Why yes that IS a Will Price Library Table in front of Will Price stain glass panels at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Does it seem unfair to you that you have to go to New York to see Rose Valley Furniture on display?

If our upcoming annual giving request is successful, the renovations to Thunderbird Lodge that are required to open the Rose Valley Museum will be complete in 2017.  Then you can see the Museum’s collection of Rose Valley Furniture right here in Rose Valley.

And if you are a fan of stained glass, don’t miss the lecture on Stained and Leaded Glass slated for Thunderbird Lodge coming up on November 13, 2016.

…especially the honey bees that have taken up residence in one of Will Price’s signature bay windows at Thunderbird Lodge.
Rose Valley’s best known beekeeper, Jim Castellan, tried to determine the hive’s location inside the wall.
Left alone, the hive would could create mold and attract rodents.
We are currently trying to come up with a way to encourage our industrious and valuable visitors to move to a more appropriate location on the property. .

From Destination Delco:

Delaware County is the fifth most populous county in Pennsylvania…
and the third most compact. The county was created on September 26, 1789, from part of Chester County, founded in 1682, and named for the Delaware River that defines its southeastern border.

Though small in size, Delaware County is large in history. The William Penn Landing Site Monument at Penn and Front Streets in Chester marks the spot of the first landing of Penn on the territory of Pennsylvania in 1682.

Click here to read more

Nearly 50 families have moved to Rose Valley in the last 1000 days. We thought it was time to introduce these folks to the “Magic” of Rose Valley. What better way to do that than at an Ice Cream Social held at Thunderbird Lodge? Then we invited Rose Valley’s organizations to meet the new Rose Valleyites and encourage them to join or participate. Ice cream from the Franklin Fountain was scooped by Barbara and Dan Sheehan on Thunderbird Lodge’s beautifully breezy porch at the June 12th event. RVCF president TIm Plummer literally changed hats, donning his Mayor of Rose Valley ceremonial top hat to invite everyone to Rose Valley Borough’s annual 4th of July celebration a the Rose Valley Pool.

The clearing at Thunderbird Lodge encouraged the azaleas to put on a fabulous show this spring. Work on the landscaping continues to open up new views of the building – but the really exciting news is that plans are coming together for exciting renovations for the first floor studio.  Hopefully  we can raise the funds to have these renovations finished in time for all the programs planned for 2017!

Most residents of Rose Valley (and a lot of visitors to Hedgerow) have noticed our award-winning Rose Valley Heritage Garden at the gate house on Old Mill Lane. But if you have only driven by, you are missing the best parts. Despite the cold damp spring (or maybe because of it) the garden is glorious right now. While it can always use a little weeding, the view from the patio is worth strolling up the steps to view.  The RFCV thanks our dedicated designer and maintenance crew member Margery Howe for her continued efforts in making this one of the most beautiful spots in Rose Valley.   If you would be interested in signing on to join Margery and Bill and Gale Hale to help maintain the Heritage Garden, let us know at info@rosevalley100.org.

On May 4, 2016. the Delaware County Council and the Heritage Commission of Delaware County for Preservation Planning. This award recognized our efforts from the Rose Valley Historic District’s inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places to our current work on Thunderbird Lodge.
Attending the ceremony were (front row l to r) RVCF Treasurer Paul Schregal, President of the Heritage Commission Rich Paul, RVCF President Tim Plummer, RVCF Board member and award application submitter Andy Detterline, RVCF VIce President Chip Essick, Delaware County Councilman David White (back row l to r) County Council members Michael Culp, Colleen Morrone, Mario Civero and John McBlain.

On April 10th The Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society held its first official event in Thunderbird Lodge.

Sue Ann Keilbaugh, a member of the Board of the RVMHS who lived in Mrs. Stephens’ studio when that space was an apartment, gave an informative and entertaining lecture on Rose Valley’s most famous artist’s life and career.

A capacity crowd of 60 people enjoyed Ms. Keilbaugh’s presentation on Alice Barber Stephens projected on the RVMHS’s new oversize canvas screen hung from wrought iron that would have made Will Price proud – making something functional beautiful at the same time.

Both the Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society have future programs planned for Thunderbird Lodge. See them here

Grove Park Inn – site of the National Arts and Crafts Conference

In baseball, “going to the show” means a minor league player will get his first chance to play in the major leagues. The Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society is literally and figuratively “going to the show” this year. The RVMHS has been invited to exhibit at a true big league event in Arts and Crafts, The National Arts and Crafts Conference in Asheville, North Carolina on February 19 – 21

The RVMHS’s booth was donated by show director Bruce Johnson.  The Foundation thanks Mr. Johnson, a respected author and publisher of Arts and Crafts Collector, for his support of our mission.

Members of the RVMHS will man the booth for the weekend getting the word out to thousands of serious collectors and historians about the restoration of Thunderbird Lodge and the future Rose Valley Museum.

Hit it out of the park guys!

Okay – so this may be what Thunderbird Lodge looks like today right after the Big Storm of 2016. But plans are moving forward for the Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society‘s first official event at Thunderbird Lodge when they become the official tenant of the studios this spring for the handsome fee of one red rose a year (and $1 because it is the law these days that you have to include a financial consideration.)

On Sunday April 10th, Sue Keilbaugh will present a lecture on Alice Barber Stephens – in Mrs. Stephens studio – which Ms. Keilbaugh lived in when that studio was a rental apartment. How cool are all those Thunderbird Lodge connections?!

To prepare for this event, the Rose Valley Centennial Foundation is about to start renovations on the first floor studio. Those renovations will include the removal of the half-wall partition, the closets, and the kitchen peninsula.

The Alice Barber Stephens Lecture is just the first of the programs that the RVMHS has slated for Thunderbird Lodge.

On October 16th the RVMHS will host a Life Drawing Class in Thunderbird Lodge. Accomplished artists will work in Charles Stephens studio with the Plastic Club, an organization founded by a group of Howard Pyle’s students including Alice Barber Stephens, that was intended to further career opportunities for female artists. The lower studio class will be lead by the Wallingford Community Arts Center and will be appropriate for beginning and intermediate art students.

In November, the RVMHS will present Stained and Leaded Glass and its Importance in the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Become a member of the Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society to receive information on all the RVMHS members-only tours and events. And stay tuned here for updates on the Rose Valley Centennial Foundation’s progress on renovating Thunderbird Lodge.

The Rose Valley Centennial Foundation was fortunate to have had many excellent applicants to live in Thunderbird Lodge in exchange for maintaining the house and grounds.   After extensive interviews and considerable deliberation, The Board has selected Meg Rumsey-Lasersohn and Ben Davidson to become the first caretakers of Thunderbird Lodge.

Meg and Ben met while students at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont.   Meg grew up in Upper Providence Township and attended The School in Rose Valley.  She is now an actress and a part-time nanny.

Ben is originally from Lake Forest, Illinois, where he worked as groundskeeper and handyman at Ragdale, the country home of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, a leader of the American Craftsman movement. Ben is the Guest Services Associate for Pendle Hill and is considering pursuing a PhD in history.  Guess he may have found the perfect subject for his dissertation if he does.