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Don Giles 2005 [#Beginning of Shooting Data Section] Nikon D2X Focal Length: 17mm Optimize Image: Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB) Long Exposure NR: Off High ISO NR: Off 2005/08/18 11:50:04.6 Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority White Balance: Auto Tone Comp.: Auto Compressed RAW (12-bit) Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern AF Mode: AF-S Hue Adjustment: 0∞ Image Size: Large (4288 x 2848) 1/125 sec - F/9 Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached Saturation: Normal Exposure Comp.: 0 EV Sharpening: Auto Lens: 17-35mm F/2.8 D Sensitivity: ISO 100 Image Comment: (c) Don Giles 2005 [#End of Shooting Data Section]
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Don Giles PHMC
By Chrysa Smith
People love people stories,” says Douglas Miller. The Historic Site Administrator of Pennsbury Manor is right. The beautiful colonial home reconstruction of William Penn’s summer house sits on the banks of a serene segment of the Delaware River in Morrisville. The grounds are full of the beauty of nature and the stillness of peace. However, what makes it come to life are the stories of people who lived here, those who visited these quarters well over 300 years ago, and still do today. But first, a look at the man himself.
William Penn
When I think about William Penn’s life story, I think visionary and survivor. His life was a series of great highs and deep lows, from growing up as the son of a prominent navy admiral to the time he spent in debtor’s prison. Those who know their Pennsylvania history will know him as ‘founder’ of our state and perhaps his affinity toward religious freedom. And Buck’s residents know that if they look up their home’s history, it will likely trace back to part of William Penn’s land grant which he received as repayment for debts owed to his deceased father. What they may not know are all of the other contributions to life as we know it today.
Born in 1644 England, Penn led what you might consider a privileged life. His father, also William, was a high Anglican and an admiral in the English Navy. While in elementary school at Chigwell, Douglas says, William (son) had two life-changing experiences. “One, a vision of God, and two, a near death experience due to Smallpox.” This likely set him on his trajectory toward a new belief in the concept of religious worship. Penn saw little need for the formal religious structure he had grown up with. To him, prayer was a personal, intimate experience between an individual and God. And so, not surprisingly, he went on to follow George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, i.e., the Quakers. He eventually converted while in his 20s, left his father heartbroken and later on established his colonies with religious freedom.
Penn had quite a life. He was ‘excused’ from Oxford for being unwilling to conform to requirements. But married the first love of his life, Gulielma. He was imprisoned for his political writings but was awarded a million and a quarter acres of land in the New World. He inherited quite a war chest from his father’s distinguished military service, but wound-up mortgaging Pennsylvania, thanks to what Douglas refers to as his “poor money management.” He wound up in debtors’ prison, but a group of prominent Quakers bailed him out. He lost his Gulielma and his son, Springett within a few years. And then he wound up meeting the quite capable and loving Hannah. One misnomer Douglas points out: “Penns Woods, or Pennsylvania was actually named for the successful Admiral William Penn of England, not the son who later wound up governing the states.”
Penn also had a few new ideas he brought to the colony. A land where people of all faiths could peaceably worship side-by-side. He introduced the paper ballot system of voting and a two-party system. In his spirit of equality, he allowed land ownership by the middle class and permitted non-landowners to cast their votes. And formed by his love of gardening and the tragedy of the Great Fire of London, he is credited with his green urban planning, turning Philadelphia into a place where structure is framed with nature. And so, it is with the apple and pear trees, the herb, and English gardens of Pennsbury Manor.
Hannah Penn
Penn had problems both in England and in the colonies. When Penn’s father-in-law from his second wife Hannah passed, Hannah was appointed as executor of the estate. Passed over as head of his household, due to his reputation as a poor businessman, Douglas says, “Hannah ran much of the show from England.” She had some financial education thanks to her father. If Penn had vision. Hannah had street smarts. By all accounts, Hannah was a Renaissance woman. 27 years Penn’s junior, also a Quaker, she believed in the equality of women. And it came in handy as she wound up with even more responsibility when her husband suffered a stroke. He never experienced a full recovery, so Hannah wound up taking over the colonial reigns.
Hannah had only lived in Pennsylvania for two years yet served as its governmental leader for some 15 years. She is credited with halting feuding between her children and stepchildren, outside forces trying to manipulate her, holding tight to colonial ownership, which Penn had put in jeopardy more than once. She kept the peace between Pennsylvanians and Marylanders—regarding boundaries, and peace with the Lenape tribe. She managed all this, while raising both her own two children and Penn’s from his first marriage. Through it all, she was an early example of the juggling act many women feel today. She wrote, “For the people are safe and think themselves so. Their comfort is so near interwoven with mine and that my children’s whole fortune, my husband’s reputation, my own satisfaction, and their happiness hang all in a thread together and therefore shall be carefully preserved by me.” And Pennsbury Manor continued to prosper.
The Lenape Tribe
Penn is known for his fairness in treaties with the Lenape tribe, the indigenous people who lived in these regions of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and a portion of Maryland. Again, his belief in equality of people likely led him to think and act kindly to the Lenape population. In his writings, Penn called them ‘light of heart with strong affections.’ He saw their feasting and dancing as merry and concluded that some precarious British influences fared poorly on the tribe. The British attempted to gain goodwill through the awarding of peace medals to tribal chiefs and trading goods like blankets, coats, guns in exchange for land. But following William, his two sons had not inherited their father’s goodwill.
One piece of American History you may remember is the 1736 Walking Purchase; sometimes described as a land swindle. According to Douglas, the proprietors, under the jurisdiction of Penn’s two sons, John and Thomas, laid claim to a deed from 50 years prior. The deed had purportedly promised the sale of some million and a quarter acres of colonial land, based on how far a man could walk in a day and a half. Penn’s Land Agent misrepresented the distance one would have to walk, and so the tribe agreed. Little did they know that the area was larger than they thought, and that the agent hired three of the quickest runners in the region. The English leadership ‘won’ the territory in question and began selling off parcels. And while the Lenape protested, they could find no justice. The Lenape people were later forced off their land toward Central Pennsylvania, forced to attend government schools and were even subject to religious persecution. If William had been around, history might have been rewritten. But today, The Lenape can be found living in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Canada. Some frequent the property, which has been outfitted with sound benches and art installations. And Pennsbury Manor hums with the harmonious sounds of the mix between today and a former time.
Slaves & Servants
Yes, William Penn had slaves. To me, the thought runs contrary to his belief in equality, but as historians point out, it was a cultural norm—although there was a rift in Quaker beliefs. Some Quakers held slaves, others not. But George Fox did speak out against slavery by the 1660s. Likewise, there were servants. Some paid, some indentured, others enslaved. But, without a proper state house in the colony, Pennsbury Manor became the official meeting place with visits from dignitaries and politicians of the day. It was clear that the manor needed help if it were to run efficiently.
Slaves and servants lived in their own quarters, and while they worked doing laundry, farm chores, cooking, cleaning, and other tasks, while Penn was alive, they appear to have been treated humanely. While slaves were not even considered as ‘whole’ people, Penn did recognize his own as individuals, including some which were married. And the manor was thus integrated.
Reconstruction
According to Douglas, the house fell into what was described as a state of disrepair by the mid-18th Century, and eventually, another home was constructed on the manor’s original foundation by the Crozier family. But by 1929, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission began archaeological work and granted funds for the preservation of the home and grounds which began soon after. Artifacts were found on the grounds that could help historians and archaeologists’ piece together some of the actual contents of the home and trace a path forward for eventual reconstruction, based on perceived furnishings, collectibles, and possessions in the colony.
The manor is 43 acres, and serves as home to 20 buildings, gardens, and farmland. Among these are the Joyner’s Shop—a woodworker’s shop, the kitchen gardens which grow common herbs for cooking, a Bake and Brew House, upper and lower courts which lead down to the banks of the Delaware, barn to house the properties farm animals, visitors center, and of course, the manor house. And bucolic Pennsbury Manor continues to portray the lifestyle of colonial times.
Continuing Education
Pennsbury Manor is a living, thriving place. While now a museum, it is full of memories, adult visitors, and students from within PA, to those from outside the region with an interest in colonial history. Specifically, fourth grade students who are introduced to state history can be found throughout the school year concocting early herbal remedies, writing with a quill pen, and witnessing other common colonial activities.
During the summer, a variety of programs abound. Storytime in the garden in June, garden workshops and Brews & Bites at the end of the month. A Living History Theater and Open-Hearth Cooking demo takes place during the month as July, as does colonial Camp Week for kids. But the summer event that struck me most is the citizenship ceremony to take place on July 20th. What better place to join this melting pot than on the grounds of one of its earliest colonies, in the home of its earliest governor? All are welcome to witness this beautiful ceremony. And so it is that events important to this country and its residents still exist at Pennsbury Manor today.
There is so much more to learn about William Penn, his descendants, and life during colonial times. Detailed timelines of Penn’s life and the life of Pennsbury Manor can be discovered during a tour of the manor, which comes highly recommended. During warmer weather, it is especially beautiful, as you can walk the grounds, admire the gardens, and stroll down toward the Delaware to view the manor from its very best angle.
Pennsbury Manor is located at 400 Pennsbury Memorial Road, Morrisville, PA. The Manor is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday (see website for hours). For more information, call 215-946-0400 or visit www.pennsburymanor.org.
Chrysa Smith is a regular contributor to the magazine and fascinated by regional history.