A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania
History
A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania
Architecture -- Pennsylvania; Art -- Pennsylvania; Historic buildings -- Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania -- Guidebooks; Pennsylvania -- History
North of tunnel, above Girard Avenue bridge, on River Drive, bronze
equestrian statue, “Cowboy,” sculptor, Frederick Remington; a band of
cowboys and Indians participated in the unveiling; River and Fountain
Green Drive, heroic bronze equestrian statue, “General U. S. Grant”;
sculptors, Daniel Chester French for Grant, Edward C. Potter for horse,
modeled from the nineteen-year-old gelding, “General Grant,” sired by
an Arabian stallion (Leopold), presented to the General in 1878 by the
Sultan of Turkey; cast by Bureau Bros., Philadelphia, mounted on
Jonesboro granite pedestal, designed by Frank Miles Day and Brother.
Columbia Avenue entrance, fountain of “Orestes and Pylades,” bronze
group, on Richmond granite pedestal, with bronze masks; sculptor, Carl
Steinhauser, Calsruhe, Germany; cast in Philadelphia; near is the
Children’s Playground building, erected by Richard and Sarah Smith in
1898; and a park mansion, MT. PLEASANT, land bought from Phineas Bond by
John MacPherson, who built the house in 1761, after style of a house in
Scotland owned by the chief of his clan, the MacPhersons of Clunie; in
1779, purchased by Benedict Arnold; on his conviction for treason, it
was confiscated by the state; in 1781-82 Baron von Steuben occupied it,
and here wrote the army regulations which created the American Army; in
1868 it became property of the city, and was added to Fairmount Park.
ROCKLAND comes next, on west side of Dairy Ball Field, occupied 1750-65
by John Lawrence, a notable mayor of Philadelphia; near Rockland is
ORMISTON, colonial, owned by Edward Burd, prothonotary, Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, named for Scotch home of Mrs. Burd, daughter of Lord
Haliburton of Ormiston, who founded the Burd Orphan Asylum; near Dauphin
Street entrance, Grand Fountain, bronze and iron, and park trolley
station.
Northwest is WOODFORD mansion; ground deeded by Penn to Dennis Rockford
in 1693; house built, 1742, by William Coleman, an original member of
the Junto Club; friend of Franklin and Judge of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, colonial, brick; original oak floor is still in fine state
of preservation; boards doweled together; laths are hand-cut, and
handwork on cornices and wainscoting most beautiful; fireplace and
mantel in main room are worthy of attention, although now marred by
paint; later it became the home of the Franks family; EDGELEY ball
field, site of residence built by Philip Syng Physick, 1828-36,
Professor of Surgery at University of Pennsylvania and first American to
be elected member of the Royal Academy of France; the RANDOLPH MANSION
is west of Edgeley; interesting colonial house with beautiful handwork
in cornices.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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