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History in the Making
The Newsletter of the New Hope Historical Society
H i s t o r y i n t h e M a k i n g
May, 2017 History in the Making
N e w s l e t t e r
H i g h l i g h t s
Historical Society ‘s
2017 Home & Garden
Tour will be a new
“first” for the Society
Parry Birthday
Party celebrated
Jane’s and Benja-
min’s birthdays with
poems, letters and
good cheer
175 members and
guests attended the
15th Annual Speaker
Series in April
Annual Garden
Party set for June 4
Remembering Jan
“Yanek” Liebgold
Home and Garden Tour set for June 4 Location! Location! Location!—
the triple mantra of real estate
gurus everywhere, is no more
perfectly applicable than to Bucks
County, Pennsylvania.
So the New Hope Historical Soci-
ety has partnered with Bucks
County realtors to present a Mil-
lion Dollar Listing Bucks County
tour on June 4, that will welcome
visitors inside five of the most
beautiful estates in Bucks County.
When William Penn founded the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
more than three and a quarter cen-
turies ago he began selling blocks
of land to the public. But he chose
the Highlands of Bucks County for
his own property because he felt it
was the most beautiful place he
had seen. Since then, countless
thousands of folks have followed
his lead as they discovered the
bucolic beauty of its rolling green
hills and winding streams.
Artists discovered Bucks County.
in the early 1920s. William Lath-
rop, Daniel Garber, Edward Willis
Redfield, Robert Spencer and
scores of artists established a new
art form now known international-
ly as the New Hope Impressionists
and Pennsylvania Impressionists.
Their works proclaimed the natu-
ral beauty and cultural diversity of
the area.
Playwrights and producers soon
followed. Inspired by the field of
corn as high as an elephant’s eye
across the road from his home in
Bucks County, Oscar Hammer-
stein composed some of his im-
mortal Broadway hits there.
Kauffman and Simon and Hart and
a host of others joined Rodgers
and Hammerstein as they present-
ed try-outs at the fabled Bucks
County Playhouse. Bucks County,
with all its rich history, art, culture
and diversity has become a mecca
for thousands of home-buyers over
the past two decades. The econom-
ic value of its grand homes located
within peaceful landscapes that
inspired so many great artists con-
tinues to draw them. And it’s
quicker to get to Bucks County
from New York City than it is to
travel to the Hamptons and easier
to travel there from center city
Philadelphia than it is to get to the
Main Line area.
Participants in the Home and Gar-
den Tour will see the interior
space and exterior grounds of five
of the grandest, most luxurious
homes and estates in the area.
There will be a tour of the eight-
eenth century Georgian-style Parry
Mansion, home of Benjamin Par-
ry, the Father of New Hope.
Purchase tickets at the Society’s
website,www.newhopehs.org.
2
The New Hope
Historical Society
Board of Directors
President
Claire Shaw, DMD
Vice Presidents
Edwin Hild
Kevin Joy
George Yarnall
Secretary
Mary Ellen Mason
Treasurer
Avril Barton Moore
Directors
John Blady
Dee Dee Bowman
Joseph Cummins
Ralph Curtis Fey
Robert Goodwin*
Lin Hodgdon
John Hover*
Les Isbrandt*
Ann Liebgold **
Fred Logan
Moira McClintock
Terry McNealy
Laurie Madaus
John Mauro
Ben Meadows
Chuck Mintzer
Pearl Mintzer
Kevin Nakashima**
Frank Policare
Dee Rosenwald *
Bryce Sanders*
Lynn Stoner*
Roy Ziegler
*Emeritus
**Honorary
Advisory Board
Adrianne Emmertz
JoAnn Goodwin
Cecily Laidman
Susan Sandor
Patricia Whitman
Barry Ziff
Executive Director
Deborah Lang
There has been a lot happening at the Mansion. A recent storm with straight line winds
was responsible for bringing down a huge tree which narrowly missed the spring house
and fortunately missed the mansion itself. A call to Hugh Marshall resulted in a quick
dispatch of the problem. Now just a few weeks later the crew returned to prepare our
grounds for our soon to reopen weekend tours.
Visitors this year will find two of the rooms on the first floor to be quite different than
last year. The Victorian Room has freshly refinished hardwood floors featuring an
historic tung oil finish. The piano is actually playable again as we heard during Victo-
rian Christmas days. We are also tending to time worn curtains and other such items to
return this room to its former glory. This spring we will also see the East-Lake room be converted into an
entirely new venue where it will serve as a home for changing displays. Please make it a point to visit us.
The 2017 Speaker Series was well attended and the last two lectures were moved to the New Hope Community
Hall to provide the space needed for the overflow crowds. I wish to thank Chair Bob McCaskey and his dedi-
cated committee: Laurie Madaus, Charles Tarr and Roy Ziegler, for providing great content, PR and beautiful-
ly presented refreshments for our guests.
As always we are asking for volunteer docents to help support our tours. If you can spare a few hours a month
we would be grateful and you will be rewarded with smiles from our visitors.
We thank you for being a member and look forward to seeing you at our next event.
Deborah
H i s t o r y i n t h e M a k i n g
Deborah Lang
History in the Making is a publication of the New Hope Historical Society
Roy Ziegler, Editor
Associate Editors: Edwin Hild, Deborah Lang and Claire Shaw
PHOTO CONTEST CHALLENGE!
While you're touring the homes in the Home & Garden Tour, pull out that camera or cell phone and snap some photos. Creativity can win you a prize. There will be 3 winners.
Contest Rules
1-Photos are to be taken the day of the tour, Sunday, June 4th.
2-Last day to email photos is June 12th.
3-Winners will be announced no later than June 15th.
4-Email your BEST photos to: GardenTourPhotos@gmail.com
5-You may submit up to 6 photos, or just one. Send in one email as an attachment.
6-Include your name and telephone number. Your information will remain private and not
used for any solicitation. 7-The best photos will remain on the NHHS website and you will be given named credit.
Questions? Contact Chuck Mintzer. Email: GardenTourPhotos@gmail.com
3
H i s t o r y i n t h e M a k i n g
Nearly 200 members and guests attended the 15th Annual Speaker
Series, “Mondays at the Mansion”
The New Hope Historical Society’s 15th Annual Speaker Series,
“Mondays at the Mansion.” series was presented each Monday
in April beginning at 5 pm at the Parry Mansion in New Hope.
“We were really pleased with the number of folks who attended
the Series,” said Bob McCaskey, chair of this year’s series.
On April 3, Linda Carol Gray presented The History of Ameri-
can Penmanship. Linda will discuss how records were kept and
written in the early days of our country and how written com-
munication and records continued and developed into the public
school system.....and where it is now. It's important to get the
word out that our kids and grandchildren won't be able to read
the Declaration of Independence unless they put cursive writing
back into the curriculum! Linda is a member of the International
Association of Master Penmen, Philadelphia Calligraphers' So-
ciety, New York Society of Scribes and the Doylestown Art
League. She is an Instructor at Scatter Joy Center for the Arts
and RCIA Coordinator for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.
On April 10, Gerry Wild discussed Fun with the Ukulele. His
presentation included hands- on beginner music lesson with
audience participation! Gerry Wild is a local musician who
specializes in stringed instruments of all shapes and sizes. He is
a retired school teacher, former Naval Flight Officer and is an
active airman at the Golden Age Air Museum where he restores
and pilots vintage aircraft. During this session Gerry demon-
strated a few basic Ukulele chords and techniques which hope-
fully awakened inner musical cravings. After this lesson we
posted a listing of follow up lessons available at Youtube.com.
Some folks brought their ukulele or shared one donated to this
event by other society members. Hawaiian Shirts were option-
al. Ukes used at this event were purchased by guests.
The series continued on April 17, when Karen Etcoff shared
anecdotes and video depicting her 30 years as a New York Cast-
ing Director in film and television. The Strippers Won't Strip
title was explained as she presented the secrets and unique de-
mands of the Casting business. Karen and her husband, Kurt
Mattel, moved to New Hope in 2012. Karen volunteers for the
New Hope Historical Society as the Docent Coordinator, and in
Lambertville she works with the Acme Screening Room as the
Chair of The Programming Committee.
The Speaker Series concluded on April 24 when Katherine Van
Dell and Sebastian Clarke from Rago Arts presented Tales from
the Road. It featured a behind-the scenes program that gave
fascinating insights into the work of an auction specialist, in-
cluding experiences on the Antiques Roadshow, great finds in
unlikely places, changing tastes in the marketplace, and the psy-
chology of auction. Katherine Van Dell and Sebastian Clarke,
Rago specialists appear regularly as guest appraisers on the hit
television show, Antiques Road Show.
4
H i s t o r y i n t h e M a k i n g
A joyous celebration of Benjamin and Jane Parry birthdays
Benjamin Parry’s Georgian-style mansion on Main Street in New Hope was crowded with New Hope Historical
Society members and guests celebrating his 260th birthday. And that was not all they commemorated. It was also a
tribute to the Father of New Hope’s wife Jane on the occasion of her 250th birthday.
Historical Society president, Dr. Claire Shaw, welcomed the gathering to the Parrys’ home. Society board member
provided a brief biography to the Parry family and noted that Benjamin’s nephew, John Childs Parry was the first
burgess, or mayor, of New Hope. He acknowledged that New Hope’s current mayor, Larry Keller, was present for
the celebration, 180 years after the first mayor took office. Historical Society member, Charlie Huchet, who por-
trayed Benjamin Parry in the Society’s video about Parry’s life, recited a poem that Benjamin had written to Jane
when he was courting her. Karen Etcoff, coordinator of the Society’s docents, read a letter that Jane had written to
Benjamin when she was away in Philadelphia in 1790.
A sumptuous birthday cake created by Joel Vitart of C’est La Vie Bakery in New Hope delighted the partygoers.
Their enjoyment was enhanced as some sipped champagne and others, hot chocolate.
Charlie Huchet as Benjamin Parry Karen Etcoff reads Jane’s letter Birthday cake by C'est La Vie
Photographs by Gordon Nieburg
5
H i s t o r y i n t h e M a k i n g
A M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t
Did you know that Victorian Ladies communicated using their fans?
A variety of signals expressed their feelings and desires
The list on the right shows the various uses of
the fan that ladies in Victorian times used to
communicate
Since I became president of the New Hope Historical Society last No-
vember I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the remarkable va-
riety of activities that the Society presents for our members and the
community. We began the year by participating in the Lambertville-
New Hope Winter Festival with a Historic Walking Tour of New Hope
that traced the steps of three American presidents through New Hope.
Then, in March, we celebrated the 260th birthday of Benjamin Parry,
the “Father of New Hope” and the 250th birthday of his wife Jane. We
have continued our work to enhance the beauty of the Parry Mansion.
Recently we restored the original wood floor in the Victorian Room.
The April Speaker Series was a great success with more than 175
members and guests attending. Our annual Garden Party has been set
for June 12. Now we are hard at work on our major fundraiser of the year, our Annual Home and
Garden Tour to be held on June 4. I am truly thrilled by the untiring efforts of Pearl Mintzer and
her amazing committee on this event. They have assembled five spectacular homes for the Tour
and have recruited a record number of sponsors. Please plan to attend this marvelous tour. You
will certainly enjoy the variety and luxury of the homes and gardens—and your ticket purchases
will help the New Hope Historical Society continue our mission to preserve New Hope’s great
history of the present and future generations.
Dr. Claire Shaw
6
H i s t o r y i n t h e M a k i n g
The New Hope Historical Society acknowledges the generous support of our
2017 Home & Garden Tour Sponsors and Advertisers
ARCHITECT
$2500
Katherine & Joshua Littlefield
ELA Outdoor Living
DESIGNER
$1000
Gilded Tree Experts
Liza Mendosa and Gregory Taylor
Penn Wealth Planning, LLC.
Scannapieco Development Corp.
LANDSCAPER
$500
1740 House
Applebee’s Bank of Princeton Vivian Banta & Robert Field Begley, Carlin & Mandino, LLP Caryn Black-Kurfiss Bucks County Herald Celt-Iberia Traders A. T. Chadwick Co. Inc. Linda Danese-Kurfiss C. Raymond Davis & Sons, Inc. Dr. Lamberto & Barbara Donnelly Bentivoglio Eiseman Construction, Inc Diane Fitzgerald and Joel Koblentz Gayle Goodman & Jim Searing Bruce & Pat Hamilton Karen Hertzog-Landscape Design Studio Edwin Hild Holly Hedge Estate Jacqui & John Hover Hugh Marshall Landscaping Laurie Madaus John and Phyllis Mauro Art Mazzei Pearl and Chuck Mintzer New Hope Art League John Paton, Inc. Penn Community Bank Seasons Garden Center Happy Shipley Solebury Partners H. Joseph Phillips AIA Charles F. Tarr & Roy Ziegler The First National Bank of Newtown The Logan Inn Robert Welch
DECORATOR
$300
Angel's Cards & Gifts
Annapolis Horticulture Society
Bartlett Tree Experts
Bucks County Gardens
Phil & Dani Castrogiovanni
Crews Surveying, LLC.
DeFrehn Roofing
Louis Dierking and Marion Steadman
Ralph C. Fey, AIA Architects
Patrick & Mary Fowles
Denise Frost and Curt Shreiner
Heath's Service, Inc.
Linda B. Hodgdon
Hayward & Deborah Holbert
Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation
Kevin Joy
Susan E. Kane
Mayor Larry Keller
Deborah Lang
Leydon Landscaping
Fred & Peg Logan
Robert & Maria McEwan
Carolyn and Ben Meadows
Pamela Morrison
Bud and Judy Newman
Professional Landscape Services-PLS
Bryce & Jane Sanders
Claire E Shaw, DMD
Univest Banking
Charlotte & Bob Watts
George Yarnall
CONTRIBUTOR
Jay & Barbara Belding
Mary Ellen & Edric Mason
ADVERTISERS
Addison Wolfe Real Estate Bucks County Cabinetry and Design
Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc.( ELA)
Richard Gacek
Knobs 'N Knockers
Limeworks
Melson's Service Center
New Hope Arts
Niece Lumber
Lisa James Otto
Paxson Hill Farm
Pennswood Village
Pine Run
Reinard Insurance Agency
Shop Rite
The Little Gym
Thompson Motors
True Value/Delray Plus
7
H i s t o r y i n t h e M a k i n g
Historical Society mourns the passing of long-time member Jan “Yanek” Liebgold
For more than four decades, Yanek and Ann Liebgold
have been active members
and supporters of the New
Hope Historical Society.
They could be seen at a
Garden Party checking in
guests, or at the Mancuso
Antique Show selling tick-
ets, or you would see Ya-
nek flipping hamburgers at
an Arts and Crafts Festival
or bantering with his many
friends at our Annual Meet-
ing and Dinner or other
events.
Jan “Yanek” Liebgold was born in Krakow, Poland on May
4, 1922. His parents were traveling actors so he spend
most of his early childhood with his grandparents. During
World War II he was a prisoner at the Pushkov concentra-
tion camp in 1940. Four years later he was transported by
cattle car to Auschwitz-Birkenau, sent to a work camp,
Glivitz Drie, and liberated by the Russians, May 8, 1945.
He arrived in New York City in 1946, sponsored by his
brother Leon, an actor in the New York Yiddish theater
after he had served in the United States Army during the
war. For a brief time the brothers Liebgold performed as
Yanek and Lonek in the Yiddish theater.
In 1953, Yanek married Ann Walker, a dancer who also
grew up in a theater family. They moved to New Hope and
purchased the Cryer Hardware Store, expanding it to in-
clude decorative hardware and renaming it Cryer’s Little
Hardware Store.
Yanek was active in the New Hope community. He helped
to reorganize the New Hope Chamber of Commerce with
his friend, John Larsen. He was a member of the Ex-
change Club and served on the New Hope Borough Plan-
ning Board. He was a supporter of the arts and collected
works of many local artists. He was an avid tennis player.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ann Walker
Liebgold; his son Michael, daughter Tania and son-in-law
Bradford Finch, and his grandchildren Scott and Benjamin
Finch, Nicole Williamson and Marcus Liebgold. He is also
survived by his great-grandchildren Gavin Ashley and Ty-
ler Williams.
Contributions in Jan “Yanek” Liebgold’s memory may be
sent to the Alzheimer Association Research Center, 225
N. Michigan Drive, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601.
Jan “Yanek” Liebgold
We thank the generous sponsors of our
2017 Home and Garden Tour
8
New Hope Historical Society
P O Box 41
New Hope, PA 18938
Non-Profit Org
U.S. Postage
P A I D
Permit No. 45
Doylestown, PA
US
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