I liked your photos. Good job. Have you got a photo of blue jays? I am looking for some nice ones to include in my book of poems Blue-jay e quadrifogli which is about to be printed. Thanks for your help.
Teresa Lazzaro (maresina@interfree.it)
Italy - Monday November 1, 2004 at 1:46 PM EST

this site is really growing-i wrote earlier of knowing the O'Brian sisters who lived in the gate house in the late 60's and early 70's ... i often wonder what became of them...I'm in glenside now, and i still go past where the mansion once was, and see the gatehouse-it was a better time...thanks
(MikeMountain@comcast.net)
Glenside, PA USA - Thursday October 28, 2004 at 2:47 AM EST

Gerry, I too must add my kudos for your terrific piece of work. Like several of your posters (whose names are surprisingly unfamiliar) I grew up on Cromwell Road just across the street from “The Mansion”. I spent literally hundreds of hours up there, dodging the relentless Springfield cops. My dad would take me up there for catches, football and bike riding in the mid to late 60’s. My friends and I knew every square inch of the place. We new every tunnel and every secret passage. In High School we spent hours partying there, and it was always my favorite place to take a lady for a discreet encounter. Thanks again for all the wonderful memories.
Alan Shinberg (shinberg1702@comcast.net)
North Wales, PA USA - Wednesday October 27, 2004 at 2:21 PM EST

I wanted to sincerely give thanks that you spent the time to put up the great website on Whitemarsh Hall. Our experiences closely mirror each other. I too haunted the site in the 70’s. I definitely got a few tears in my eyes looking over the material. Now I am going to see if I can locate some of my old pictures. If I find anything interesting, I’ll send you copies. Regards.
Eli Levine (levinee@comcast.net)
Doylestown, PA USA - Monday October 18, 2004 at 10:36 PM EST

Gerry, I just spent hours here, utterly fantastic web site in every respect. Best personal page I have ever seen!
Cinday (CinFal61@aol.com)
Flagstaff, AR USA - Sunday October 17, 2004 at 9:33 AM EST

GERRY, I READ WITH INTEREST YOUR EXCELLENTLY PREPARED WEBSITE. MY NAME IS GIOVANNI (JOHN) PASCUZZI. I WAS BORN IN SOVERIA MANNELLI. PROV CATANZARO ITALY IN 1945. WE EMIGRATED TO AUSTRALIA IN 1952.THE SURNAMES THAT I REAR WITH INTEREST IN YOUR FAMILY TREE, I CAN RELATE TO AND ALSO MANY OF THESE DESCENDANTS RESIDE IN AUSTRALIA. IE MARASCO. PASCUZZI, CARDAMONE, CERRA CHIODO, TALARICO, SIRIANNI. I WOULD LIKE SOME FEED BACK IF I CAN HELP.. GOOD LUCK & BEST WISHES...
John Pascuzzi (gladston@austarmetro.com.au)
Australia - Friday 15, 2004 at 1:47 AM EST

Gerry, thank you so much for maintaining this web-site. I do visit it often. I found some new pictures today that I have never seen before. You can't imagine how my heart jumped. I was so excited. The demolition of this home is one of the biggest tragedies in America. I've visited the Newport Rhode Island area several times, and only wish that this landmark would have been preserved. Thank you.
David G. Castleberry (David.Castleberry@HCAhealthcare.com)
Dallas, TX USA - Thursday October 13, 2004 at 2:39 PM EST

Gerry, I stumbled upon your site and it has brought back many memories for me. During the years of 1978 through 1981 I attended Delaware Valley College and would pass Stotesbury Mansion on my way home. My curiosity would run wild as my roommate and I walked through a much damaged put a still very fascinating property. I would often wonder how she appeared in her glory days and what happened to lead to her demise. Walking through the much damaged halls, I would try to imagine the way she once looked. Even in her worse condition, I could visualize what was once there. I must have toured the grounds over a dozen times and always stumble upon something new that would fascinate me, I would hear stories and often would wonder what the true history beholds. Your web-site has helped me better understand what was once there and how truly grand it was. Your pictures took me back to my youth and brought back a very fond memory of a place that I only could imagine in my dreams. Thank you.
Mike Monde (mmonde@ruppertcompanies.com)
USA - Tuesday October 12, 2004 at 8:33 AM EST

Hello: I read with fascination your history of Whitemarsh Hall and Mr. Stotesbury. In your paper, you mentioned that he celebrated his 50th anniversary with Drexel & Company at the Bellevue Stratford in Philadelphia. I purchased a framed picture of that actual event. I believe it is authentic, but will have an expert look at it. But the date that is printed on the picture is Oct. 21, 1916. It shows the dinner celebration with Mr. Stotesbury in it at the head of the table. Could you tell me if there is any value to this picture or maybe just sentimental value. And do you know if Mr. Stotesbury has a foundation or family who might be looking for pictures such as this one. thank you for your time and any information you can supply me.
Susan Connor (Lunchie23@aol.com)
NJ, USA - Friday October 8, 2004 at 8:05 AM EST

Dear sir, I came across your website wile doing research on the internet for a current project, and let me say that is extremely well done. The reason for my note is that I restore antique and classic cars, and am currently completing the restoration of Mr. Stotesbury's custom 1925 Locomobile Convertible Sedan. It is a very unique car that was highly customized for Mr. Stotesburry, it even has his initials engraved on the radiator. I was wondering if there are any photos of his cars or the garage at Whitemarsh Hall, I have been told he had a 50 car garage on the estate. I am looking forward to hearing from you. 

Clark Rittersbach (clark@platinumclassics.com)
East Rochester, NY USA - Saturday October 2, 2004 at 6:26 PM EST

Greetings from Popoli! Remember that among our ancestors there is Francesco Spallone, one of the soldiers of Giuseppe Garibaldi. In 1867 he fought against the French troops in Mentana, near Rome, and was prisoneer in Castel Sant'angelo. Bye.

Giuseppe Di Giorgio (gdigiorgio@tntitaly.it)

Popoli, Italy - Monday September 20, 2004 at 1:09 PM EST

Sono Pietro Filauri. Vivo ad Avezzano e ho letto con molta emozione la geneologia della vostra famiglia. Spero che mi sappiate dare qualche notizia su miei antenati. Ciao.
Pietro Filauri (pfilauri@sirm.org)
Avezzano, Italy, Saturday September 11, 2004 at 12:33 PM EST

Thanks so much for putting your Stotesbury information online. I grew up in Chestnut Hill and have an incredible memory of going to visit the estate during the summer of 1979 - I was 14 and it was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. looking at your photographs I remember how heartbreaking it was to see the beautiful, hulking structure in decay and the results of 20 years of vandalism. Your site is terrific. thank you very much. Peace
Alexander Coxe (Alex@blbglaw.com)
New York, NY USA - Tuesday September 7, 2004 at 8:52 PM EST

In the early 1930's my parents used to take any out-of town visitors to see the Bryn Athyn Cathedral and view Stotesbury's Estate up the long driveway from Willow Grove Ave. I grew up in Glenside and these were the two nearby wonders to see in those days. I last was there in 1974 as it was about to be torn down. What a loss.
Har Hall (hallsbnj@worldnet.att.net)
Spray Beach, NJ USA - Monday August 30, 2004 at 3:36 PM EST

Dear sir, I am very interested in architecture, especially in Whitemarsh Hall and other Gilded Age palaces. Unfortunately I happened to be born six years after Whitemarsh was demolished and therefore will never know what it's like to see it in real life. I was just wondering if you had the dimensions of the building. I saw that the ballroom was 64 feet long but I didn't see anything else. Thank you.
John Hays (super_fishmonkey@yahoo.com)
Burbank, CA USA - Wednesday August 25, 2004 at 3:22 AM EST

Hello! My name is Gretchen Hunsberger, I'm 22 years old, and my parents and I would like to thank you for your website. When I was growing up, my parents would tell me all about the things they used to do when they were my age, and many a time I was fascinated by their story of Stotesbury Mansion. They would tell me stories about peering down from the rooftop, and creeping down the staircase into the sub-basement. It sounded like such an awesome place! Every story would end with, "I really wish you could have seen it...... it was more massive than we can explain".  Jump forward to dinnertime at our house. My mom and dad are once again discussing how neat it was to be there, and how we wish we had pictures. We decided to check on the internet, not expecting to find much. We were surprised and excited to find a whole website devoted to the mansion, not to mention PICTURES! The place really is bigger than I had imagined. I wish I could have been there to see it, but the pictures do help! The pictures from your website are now prized possessions, hanging on our fridge (I hope that's ok!) My parents and I just wanted to say thanks for the website, and for reminding them of the heart racing excitement of wandering around Stotesbury Mansion, especially at night! Thanks again!

Jeanne, Brian, and Gretchen Hunsberger (DJgraffiti00@aol.com)

Collegeville, PA USA - Monday August 23, 2004 at 11:07 PM EST

As I was searching for photos in Avezzano , I found your site ..... Really like it .. May be you could be interesting in more of Avezzano-Italy photos , the place which I love www.hassan.tv Italy Photo Gallery. Best Regards
Hassan (has@art-tv.net)
Avezzano, Italy - Monday August 23, 2004 at 9:49 AM EST

I was just looking at your photos, I am amassed at the beauty of the place. When I was young I used to go there to walk and play on the property, but by then it was in a sad state, about 1974 -1975. I am currently a social studies teacher in Norristown, and I would love it if you would send me copies of your photos. I can't seem to copy them from the website. I would love to share these with my students in a lesson. It would be in the form of a powerpoint presentation, not for resale in any way. They would only be used in teaching. I don't care if they are sent email or regular mail. If needed i'll reimburse postage and cd costs. Thank you in advance for your consideration
Will Crawford
Norristown, PA USA - Saturday August 21, 2004 at 1:15 PM EST

Gerry, Great site. I was in Stotes my first time in 1972. It was still very intact. I believe Pennwalt still was leasing space at the time as the interior was still incredible. The foyer, the staircase and their glass and mirrors were still 100% intact. It was incredible. I visited the place at least 100 times.... I can still recall almost all the rooms. Someday, I'll find those old photos I took and send them to you. PS We had a party once in '73 where we brought in generators and did the ballroom some real justice. About 30 of us put on our finest duds and made pretend we were society's finest.....aah memories. We did get caught/thrown out THAT time but I visited the place til about '77. I could never believe it was so defaced by vandals. In fact one year I watched in amazement as someone sawed through one of the roofs pineapples and pulled it with a chain. The thing fell onto his pickup truck below and squashed it 3ft into the ground. Justice. Anyway, I still have a big piece of the marble bathtub from the Mrs. main bathroom (the tub was literally a small pool.....green and white...beautiful.. Some else  was jack hammering at it one evening and we scared him off. I had some marvelous memories.
N. Hanuschek, (nph101@comcast.net)

formerly of Horsham, PA USA - Friday August 20, 2004 at 7:55 AM EST

Gerry, I just finished an oral history with Douglas MacArthur’s niece, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Symington. She is now 91 and talked a lot about her visits to Whitemarsh. She said the last time she went there was for Louise Brooks daughter’s coming out party. She could not remember the date, but thought it early in the 1930s. Would you happen to have a date for that? Sincerely,

James Zobel, Archivist / MacArthur Memorial (james.zobel@norfolk.gov)
USA - Thursday August 5, 2004 at 3:27 PM EST

What a magnificent piece of history only to be torn down and ravaged by the greed of money hungry developers. It's sad
Terry Edwards (tledward@srpnet.com)
Kanab, Utah USA - Thursday July 29, 2004 at 2:04 AM EST

I get so angry seeing this, seeing so many things like this happen in America. This is what America does, it gets a bit of history then tears it down. History means nothing to the unstoppable juggernaut. I'm American and I've lived in England (you know, where the history comes from) for the past several years. They CARE what happens to their history, they know the importance of it.. America doesn't, they don't want to look back.. just forward and never learn from the past. In England there is the National Trust and English Heritage among other charities that own stately homes, gardens, land.. they care for the buildings, restore them, open them to the public. I have visited many, many across this country - we are talking buildings from the 1100's too, it must be very costly to restore.. but they do it so don't tell me buildings not even 100 years old in America can't be restored. Today I nearly cried seeing this website about Whitemarsh Hall.. it makes me so sad to see the contrast between these countries. I get so tired of history being destroyed from neglect or from the bottom line of money. I appreciate that it would cost money to keep it in a sound way, but if it wasn't abandoned in the first place it wouldn't have become so irreparable. Why did no one care then? And where are the charities like the National Trust in America? "We will be judged not by the monuments we have built, but those that we have destroyed", how true is that.
Josie (j@pinnedbutterfly.com)
Sunday July 25, 2004 at 8:30AM EST

Gerry: I corresponded with you briefly 6 or 7 years ago about spending my summer vacations as a kid with my aunt and uncle on the Stotesbury Estate during WW II. My aunt just died last week at age 101 yrs. 10 months. We're going to have a memorial service for her on August 14 in Pittsburgh and I'm hoping to find a good exterior photo of what I've always referred to as the "Stable, or Watertower, Building" on the estate, where my aunt and uncle rented an apartment in its southwest wing for 3-4 years. Do you know where I can obtain an electronic photo copy of the stable building? I remember being taken to the big house one day to visit with the caretaker, "Mr. Chapman", who took us on a tour of the lower floors. All those basement rooms were chock full of "stuff", all covered up with white draperies. My aunt told me later that it was all the artwork from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and that it had been secretly shipped to and stored underground in the mansion during WW II, in case New York City was bombed by the Germans.
Robert M. Wood (dtrek100@aol.com)
Alameda, CA USA - Friday July 23, 2004 at 2:139AM EST

hi! my name is Laura Basile,I am from Grosseto, Italy. Your site is beautiful, amazing!!!
Laura Basile (lauretteb@tiscali.it)
Grosseto, Italy - Wednesday July 21, 2004 at 7:19AM EST

Hi, I wish I would have been able to see the house...it's so beautiful!!! Do you recall the floor plans for the ground floor and below? I'm interested in seeing what kind of layout and what kind of rooms would have been in the house. The early 1900's were a different time...it interests me what would kind of rooms they would have had and where they were located...you mentioned a bakery, a carpenter's shop and the wine cellar. I'm interested in finding out where they were located...especially the "hall of mirrors". It's a very captivating house...I wish it was still standing and available to see. It's unfortunate the house was lost years ago. It would have been exciting to have seen it rebuilt to it's original splendor! Thank you for your site. As someone who didn't grow up in the area and without any recollection of the house, it was a wonderful introduction! Thank you!
Health Alliance Medical Plans
Jennifer Davis, PharmD (Jennifer.Davis@HealthAlliance.Org) Eligibility Coordinator
Urbana, IL USA - Friday June 16, 2004 at 12:25PM EST

I just would like to commend you on a job well-done on keeping up with your family history. I would love to do one myself, but I wouldn't even know where to start as far as putting it on a website. Any suggestions? Sincerely,
Michelina Liquori, PharmD (Michelina6@aol.com)
East Longmeadow, MA USA - Friday June 16, 2004 at 12:12AM EST

Greetings Gerry. I don't know if anyone has informed you but the auction catologue for the contents of Whitemarsh and "Marly" is currently up for bid on ebay... item number 6911753984 ending on July 15 ebays title is 1944 Auction Catologue 1944 WHITEMARSH AND MARLY PHILLADELPHIA. It has her 18th century french furniture .. silver .. paintings chinese porcelains etc listed 144 pages Chesnut Hill Pa. auction house. It would be nice if some one would purchase it and donate to you for your wonderful website.
Gary Waters (gary_waters@shaw.ca)
Vancouver Canada - Saturday July 10, 2004 at 10:11 PM EST

Hi, Gerry - I first saw your site last November and submitted an email then (which you posted). I am amazed, and moved, about how this place so deeply effected people growing up in its shadow (as I did in the '60s) and how sad and outraged we feel about it's decay and destruction. Your website's treatment of Whitemarsh Hall is as well done as we could hope to expect for such as special and powerful place for so many of us. Your guest book helps make the site as powerful as it is and really helps the memories come alive. Thanks again.
Paul Anderson (paul@the3rdway.com)
USA - Friday July 9, 2004 at 10:36 AM EST

Hi: This brings back some fond memories of the good times we had on the estate, sledding in the winter, and swimming in the old swimming hole in the summer. I grew up in "BUNK TOWN" on New Street. I had a sister "Mary" and two brothers "Bill" and "Tom" I left Windmoor in 1944 and went into the Navy.
John Robinson (jwrobin864@earthlink.net)
USA - Wednesday June 30, 2004 at 3:09 PM EST

Great site. I visited Stotesbury Mansion (as it was called by my friends) in high school back in the late 70"s. It was all beat up and graffitied on but you could just imagine how beautiful it once was. Thanks for the great memories. I grew up in Germantown, had moved away and wondered what had happened to it.
Andrew Scott Harthausen (Harthausens@aol.com)
USA - Wednesday June 30, 2004 at 6:45 AM EST

Hi Gerry, Just wanted to say that I think your photos are really really great. It seems like your presentation omits the obvious "postcard" photos of the regions and I think that is smart. Your presentation of American backcountry makes me long for the wilderness. Your photos are consistently "low contrast" - and I even though I have never really thought that would be beautiful - yours are. Nice going! Can't wait to see more of your travels. I found them because I was looking for some photos of ADK 46ers to show some friends where I was this weekend. www.geocities.com/mfrenchy
Michael A. French (cameraperson@hotmail.com)
Adirondacks, NY USA - Tuesday June 29, 2004 at 12:35 PM EST

Ciao gerry, siamo parenti. Io sono originario di soveria mannelli, mio padre si chiama Aldo Sirianni e suo padre si chiamava Francesco come me. Mentre mia nonna si chiamava Raffaella Paolillo in Sirianni. ho trovato per caso questo sito internet e sono orgoglioso di appartenere a questa famiglia. Fai bene a ricordare a tutti noi quali siano le nostre origini. continua così.  a presto.
Francesco Sirianni (FSirianni@kpmg.it)
Italy - Monday June 21, 2004 at 128:48 PM EST

I came across your site purely by accident and found it amazing and truly sad that something of this magnitude could not be saved. It would have made a great tourism stop. I and my wife look for places like this to visit and would like to have seen this in all its splendor. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to see it.
Scott Klewicki (klewicki@charter.net)
Fond du Lac, WI USA - Monday June 14, 2004 at 8:49 AM EST

Through researching my genealogy I was bought to your site. Very informative site. How beautiful it all was! It is believed that my great-great grandmother worked for the Stotesbury's in the late 1800's or early 1900's. Her name was Rose McGinnis/McGuinness. Are any records available to confirm employees at Stotesbury's estates? Thank you!
Jeff & Debbie (jdczekaj@usa.net)
Sunday June 3, 2004 at 10:55 PM EST

Hi. I have been reading all of the wealth of information on your website and the related links and I have to tell you that you did a wonderful job putting this website together. It is so sad to see such a beautiful grand monument fall into decay and become destroyed. But this is an example of why we have to take care of historic monuments and mansions for our descendants. I have such a great love and passion for grand manors and historic places and it just breaks my heart to see what happened to Whitemarsh Hall. If is was still intact I would have most definitely made a special trip to have seen it just like I have with Whitehall in Palm Beach and The Biltmore in Asheville. Thank you so much for putting together this fabulous website.
Adopt-A-Child Contributions, North America
Living Water Ministries GLOBE Missionary Evangelism
Changing the World... One Child at a Time

Lee Freeman (AACcontributions@GME.org)
Sunday June 3, 2004 at 3:04 PM EST

A tale of opposites...What a great country we live in which fantastic men and women can build such great palaces and yet at the same time what a tragedy that we allow such homes to be discarded like pieces of every day garbage. It is kind of ironic that money, and lots of it, built Whitemarsh Hall and the pursuit of money by developers and Springfield Township destroyed the place. What struck me as I navigated the site, was the comparison of Whitemarsh Hall to the palace of Versailles in France. What kind of country would allow such a place to be demolished just because of money. This place should have been protected as a national historic site and been preserved for future generations to see. Shame on the greedy developers and shortsighted commissioners of Springfield township for allowing the destruction of Whitemarsh Hall. Let us hope that we have learned a hard lesson when it comes to historic homes and estates. We learn from our past. We become a greater society as a whole when we learn from our past. Let us preserve these great estates and become a greater nation. This is a fantastic website - congratulations on a job well done....
Joseph M. Holmes (josephholmes@comcast.net)
East Oreland - Upper Dublin Township, PA USA - Tuesday June 1, 2004 at 9:51 PM EST

Maybe as many as thirty to forty years ago my first wife and her mother, both now dead, went to an auction in either West Palm Beach or Palm Beach. My late mother-in-law successfully bid on a couple of unusual tall table lamps -- they were urn-shaped with slender ears and they looked like Wedgwood jasper ware. The bodies of the lamps were pink and the raised figures were white. The auctioneer said that the lamps had come from a house that E. T. Stotesbury owned. Does that sound reasonable to you? After my wife's death the lamps went to her brother, who likely still has them.
Robert Harvey (robertharvey@chartertn.net)
Kingsport, TN USA - Tuesday May 18, 2004 at 9:21 PM EST

Ok, I found my new favorite "dream" house! How much do you think it would cost to build this house today? Are the complete floor plans, including subfloors, available to the public? Thanks so much...I enjoyed looking through the site!

"I know God promises not to give me more than I can handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much."--Mother Teresa

Jennifer Davis (Jennifer.Davis@healthalliance.org)
Eligibility Coordinator
Health Alliance Medical Plans
Urbana, IL USA - Wednesday May 12, 2004 at 11:00 AM EST

Hi my name is Will Turner. I would like to know if you know a good resource for info pictures especially of Lynnewood Hall, the old Widener estate. My great grandfather used to work under the Wideners in their estate and I have been interested w/ the house ever since I saw it the 1 time I was in Pa. Please let me know. Thank you.
Will Turner (willytstudio@cox.net)
Monday May 10, 2004 at  3:04 AM EST

Dear Sir: I would like to know if you have any record of any Philadelphia artists who displayed or "showed" their paintings in Stotesbury mansion in the early 1900's?
According to family history, my grandfather had a showing of paintings there. I was interested to know if there is any record of it? Thank you for your time.
PVP (Pvp72@aol.com)
USA - Sunday April 18, 2004 at 8:36 PM EST

Thank you so much for memorializing this beautiful place and time. How I wish I could see it today. I especially appreciated your description of the feeling you used to have while visiting this mystical place as a child. I felt the same way when exploring “echos from the past” as a child. Even now, seeing the photos on your site made me smile… and also made me weep. Thank you.
Andrew Gutknecht (andrew.gutknecht@verizon.net)
Philadelphia, PA USA - Sunday April 18, 2004 at 7:08 PM EST

Wow! I loved the site. I used to visit there and explore. It was scary and great fun. Thanks for putting this great site together and sharing your personal experiences as well. Having grown up and living my entire life in this area, I even recognize some of the other guest book signers!
Karen McPoyle (McPoyleK@iconus.com)
USA - Tuesday April 13, 2004 at 6:48 PM EST

Thanks so much for your wonderful website. My story is pretty much like all the others growing up in the area in the 50s and 60s. My mother read the article in the Inquirer about it in the early 70s and decided we had to go over and check it out. At first site, I couldn't beleive that such a thing existed just 5 miles from my home. I think I was more captivated by the process of the decay on such a grand scale then on what it was in its heyday. How anyone could have allowed such magnificence in architecture and landscaping to fall so far down, was just beyond my comprehension at the time. Like seeing the Grand canyon for the first time, its a little hard to understand. From then on I was hooked, and made many subsequent visits to Stotesbury over the years before it was finally demolished. Though I feel badly about it now, I, like many others, took one of those great sandstone ballusters home to remember the great estate by. As it turned out, I became a restorer of antquities in my professional life- maybe penitence for the balluster incident, or maybe to honor the grand structure. Great website, I only wish there were pictures of individuals of the period strolling through the interior. Thanks,
Eric Froberg (Ari2@aol.com)
USA - Sunday April 11, 2004 at 8:24 AM EST

Sir, I absolutely love your site. I currently attend the U.S. Naval Academy and was visiting my grandmother who is a resident of the Stotesbury Estate this past weekend. She is on Trumbauer Drive and has a statue of what looks like a woman, but the statue has no head. I am always curious of where this statue was in respect to the rest of the property. My girlfriend and I were walking around the development because it was the first time she had been there. She was absolutely amazed by your photographs of what the mansion used to look like. I only wish that I could have seen the property before the mansion was demolished. Thank you for providing the great information. I really enjoy the site.
John Stockdill (trecool626@yahoo.com)
MIDN USN - Tuesday April 6, 2004 at 5:13 PM EST

Now which Serianni are you? My maiden name was Gormley and I lived at 1502 Church Road in Oreland, and dated Jerry Payes who lived in Wyndmoor. I dated one of the Serianni's but I don't think he was from the main family. The one I dated was tall and blond, not darkhaired like some of the other Seriannis I remember from "the area". Your photos are magnificent and I would love to try to copy at least the floor plan in 1/12 scale. How I wish there were a book of color photos. You were brave to visit the site as a child. I was always afraid my Mom would find out and that I would be grounded. Even though I lived in Oreland, I went to Melrose Academy so did not know a lot of kids from the area. I lived down the street from Arlene Brill who now lives in Turkey as a free lance writer and teaches english as a second language. We were also friends with the Vichichs, a name I am sure you know also. Terry was my age and she and I got married on the same day in 1967. I wonder if hers fared any better than mine. I seem to remember that the Serianni I dated was named Jimmy and we played tennis at the school one day and I can remember dancing to Moon River with him at Springfield - at the inside dances. I think I danced with one of the darkhaired Seriannis at the summer outside dances - oh so long ago. In later years I came to know Jimmy and Barbara Grover and I guess you know those names too. Thank you for the marvelous trip down memory lane. As a young girl, I often walked the creek that ran behind that strip of houses on Church Road, from Haws Lane down to the Estate (the name of which I forget after all these years) where we picked apples and tried to cook them in a pot over a fire. When the houses were first built, the construction stirred the sewer rats and my dad used to sit on the back patio and blast them with a double barrel shotgun. I lived down the hill from Marie Hetkowski and Patty O'Neill and in the same block as Geoff Bachman and Joey whose last name has left me at the minute. There was a Gerry who moved to Hawaii in grade school, last name Skurke or something like that. WOW! How many years ago has all this been? I was in Chestnut Hill last week - remembering Tank and Jerry who were often at the pool parties at my house. Oh, I was also friends with Lauren Caffrey. I graduated Melrose in 1964 but we had moved to North Hills by that time. There is always hope (Aragorn, LOTR2)
Nancy (Melrosemiss@aol.com)
Lederach, PA USA - Monday April 5, 2004 at 9:37 PM EST

Enjoyed your website, found it while looking for another colonial looking mansion that was intended for his wife as a beach house. It was an enormous structure, later becoming a hotel, then later destroyed. Any ideas what this was. Was it one of this same architect's works. Thanks for any input.
Craig Burdine (craig_burdine2002@yahoo.com)
Tuesday March 30, 2004 at 12:12 AM EST

Hi My name is Jessica i am 8 years old and i live in Birmingham England, i came across your website when looking for the site Slimbridge wetlands Tryst , we were looking for a nice day out for my mom on mothers day, i think you are amazing to have seen so many birds in real life i wish i will see so many in my life time! i would also like to do my family tree like you have, and i think the bird noises are cool!!, well done love
Jessica Cox (shellcox@blueyonder.co.uk)
Birmingham England - Sunday March 21, 2004 at 5:18 AM EST

Gerry -  I recently discovered your wonderful website for Whitemarsh Hall. I lived in Philadelphia from 1974-1977 and became enchanted with the remains of Whitemarsh Hall once I found them.  I recently found some old pictures I took back then, I think in either 1974 or 1975. I enclosed one with this e-mail but would like to send more to share with others on your website. As you can see from this picture, it was taken (late Fall or early Winter) at a time when some maintenance of the grounds still occurred - the grass was cut. Sometime after, maintenance must have ceased and the jungle overgrowth began. I greatly regret that the house was not saved and preserved. How typical of our current disposable and throw-away society. I have the other pictures - 10 total on a CD. Send me your address and I will send you a CD copy. Thanks.

Ron Gurney (rgurney@erols.com)
USA - Tuesday March 16, 2004 at 10:02 PM EST

I just accidentally found your Stotesbury website and it really brought back memories. I used to ride my bike over to the mansion to explore. Even in the daylight, the place made my heart pound with fear of ghosts. Later, I was like many teenagers, sneaking in on dark nights, creeping up that staircase with flashlights, hoping it stayed attached to the wall, evading the Springfield cops. I remember hiding on the roof while they flashed the lights. My husband, who was from Doylestown, also remembers being on the roof, getting stoned. Now I feel guilty because I am sure we are part of the reason they finally tore it down. I always looked for those pillars as we drove down Willow Grove Ave. A magnificent place, truly. Thanks for the website.
Julie Bergin (jjbergin@hotmail.com)
Fishers, IN USA - Saturday March 13, 2004 at 9:49 PM EST

Hello Gerry, First let me thank you for many wonderful memories of my childhood exploring and dreaming about what life must have been like in and around the mansion. I am one of the city kids who visited the mansion to party in the mid 70's. The destruction was complete long before I got there. I still felt a passion for this place everytime I went there. Have since moved to the suburbs but remember the sadness I felt when I heard they were going to tear it down. You have bought back many many emotions with your site from wonderment of how anyone could abandoned such a beautiful property to absolute sadness for the vandelismand ultimate destruction. I also have a feeling of being among the few luckiest people in the world who had the ability to actually be there and to have seen with my own eyes, feel with my own hands the amazing style and grace this building and property emited. I have shared your site with probably 25 people who were just as amazed with your work and dedication. Thanks from my heart for your time and effort. If you have the time please send me any other links to stotesbury from your sorces or your replys.
Tom Melissen (Levelhd1@aol.com)
Spring Mount, PA Formly of Mt Airy, PA USA - Saturday March 13, 2004 at 8:00 AM EST

I just wanted to tell you that I greatly admire your webpage. I saw a Rufous sided Towhee in my backyard today. He's been coming and going all morning and I'd never seen one before in my 81 years around Dayton, Ohio. In looking up information on it on the Internet I came across your page. I loved it and I'm sure it has taken many, many hours to develop it. Thanks for doing that for everyone.
Dale Motschman (dalesr99@earthlink.net)
Dayton, OH USA - Sunday March 7, 2004 at 12:59 PM EST

Gerry great site. As a life long resident of wyndmoor i was wondering. what about the undergrond tunnels going up to the mansion from the back. and i heard at one time there was a train station in wyndmoor just for guests. is this true. thank you
John Jennings (sajennings1@comcast.net)
Wyndmoor, PA USA - Wednesday March 3, 2004 at 9:33 PM EST

Ohhhh! How absolutely glorious!!!! For some unknown reason, last night it "came over me" to try and search for web for ANY info. on the old Stotesbury estate and mansion, as we called it through the years. How overjoyed I am to find your wonderful site here! I lived with my family at the very entrance to the mansion on Cromwell Rd. Of course it was in the new tract housing at "Whitemarsh Village". We moved in in l958-ish and stayed just 2 years, moving to a lovely old farm in Edison, Pa just south of Doylestown. How I loved to meet my dearest girlfriend, Carol Polis, halfway down the gardens. She lived in the valley in a tract house too. We were both just 10-12 years old, and this gorgeous land and mansion were magical to us, as they have been for some many who "grew up" with it all. I am now 59, and am really excited about sharing all this in for. with my 38 year-old daughter. We made a short investigative visit to it just before it was torn down...and I do have a very huge poster in black and white (photo) of it the night before demolition began. I just showed it to her yesterday! This computer at my local library won't access you e-mail contact site. That is why it is coming to you indirectly here. Thank you so very much for all the effort you have put in here...if you would like some photos of the area I may have in my collections, let me know. I'll see what I can come up with...as I have always been an ardent photographer.
Good success! With love, Lynn(ie)
Lynn Crowder Maust (lcmaust@yahoo.com)
Wednesday Feb 25, 2004 at 4:46 PM EST

This is the best site yet. LOVE the pics of the interiors mostly of the ones before it was torn down! BRAVO for taking them! A house to dream of..................
Scott Feck (sgf@flash.net)
Monday Feb 23, 2004 at 12:54 AM EST

My name is Frank. My fathers name is Frank Wills, his brothers being Charlie, Gerry, Jim, and Mike. They grew up on Hull Drive and told me many stories of their adventures of Stotesbury Mansion and Lee Mansion. Looking at your pictures gave me a better idea of the adventures and showed how trulely amazing those places were. It is a shame they were torn down. My dad told me a story of he and his buddies sitting upon stotesbury and watching the gardens and front being demolished by dynamite and it bringing a tear to his eye. Thank you for making this website for without it I would not be able to experience some of the awe and wonder that my father and uncles experienced. Thanx again.
Frank Wills Jr. (Greenday1324@comcast.net)
Plymouth Meeting, PA USA - Sunday Feb 22, 2004 at 7:28 PM EST

Gerry: It's great to see a wine lover with such a good sense of humor. May you live long and prosper.
Best Regards,
Lou (Skimaxima@aol.com)
Roanoke, VA USA - Friday Feb 20, 2004 at 5:58 PM EST

This is a great web site Gerry! I am a huge fan of old homes and I am shocked that I've never heard of Whitemarsh Hall. It surprising that Preservation magazine hasn't done an article on the mansion and grounds. Currently, I am a computer aided design student in Ft. Worth, Texas. I would love to use Whitemarsh Hall as my final exam project. Do you know how I could obtain copies of the original blueprints so I could create updated floor plans of the mansion (family rooms, modern conveniences, etc). Anyway, thank you for your time. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me back. This is a great web site, keep up the good work! Sincerely,
John Finley (Jpfarchitect@aol.com)
Lancaster, TX USA - Saturday Feb 14, 2004 at 10:12 PM EST

GERRY I AM LOOKING FOR ANY INFORMATION OR PICTURES OF THE FORMER IREY MANSION IN DOUGLASSVILLE PA BETTER KNOWN AS ROSELAWN. I HAVE SALVEGED MUCH OF THE WOOD FROM THE MANSION AND IT IS NOW IN MY HOME IN CONSHOHOCKEN PA. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO OR PICTURES OR KNOW OF ANYONE WHO DOES PLEASE CONTACT ME ALSO I HAVE A FRIEND WHO WILL BE PAINTING A WATERCOLOR PRINT OF WHITEMARSH HALL IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN OBTAINING A COPT SUITABLE FOR FRAMING THANKS
Joe Pollarine (LINK421614@aol.com)
Conshohocken, PA USA - Sunday Feb 8, 2004 at 10:23 AM EST

Gerry, I really enjoyed your website. My parents were both from Soveria Mannelli and I have relatives that still live there. My Aunt married a Sirianni, she lives in Lamezia Terme in Italy but also has a home in Soveria. My uncle has since passed away but she has two children and they live in Lamezia Terme with their families. We visited Soveria Mannelli in 2002. Thanks for the memories.
Fran Fields (Calla4492@aol.com)
Livonia, MI USA - Thursday Feb 5, 2004 at 10:13 PM EST

Hi Gerry, Geri told me about your "Site" some time ago and I have just gotten around to visiting it. I have never seen anything to equal it - it really is a work of love and art. I will visit again. Yours Scottish Uncle Ian.
Ian Miller (iana.miller@ntlworld.com)
England - Tuesday Feb 3, 2004 at 11:53 AM EST

Dear Gerry, Doing a bit of revisiting the past as a roving/hippy labourer, I worked at Furnace-Creek first then went to the mines for $10 bucks an hr. back in '79,to pay for college fees. I always remember, when out walking at night that looking around the sky, it gave the feeling of being inside a volcano, as the stars above were huge, it was an incredible feeling!
And of course, in those haight-ashbury days, everything was MAGIC! However, being back in my native Scotland and 50,I'm ready to capture the experiences again, without a Winnebago! TAKE CARE!
Ron Sinclair.Greenock (ron.sinclair@ntlworld.com)
Scotland - Monday Feb 2, 2004 at 6:27 EST

This was very informative to me and my family. We currently live in Stotesbury.
Lisa Peoples-Crafton (CraftonLis@aol.com)
Wyndmoor, PA USA - Wednesday Jan 28, 2004 at 12:30 PM EST

Gerry, you have created a wonderful web site of the Stotesbury Mansion. I grew up on Wainwright Road a few 100 yards away from Whitemarsh Hall. My friends and I spent so many hours of our teenage years, during the late 60's and early 70's, exploring the grounds and every room of this place. We uncovered everything from walk-in safes in the basements to trap doors in closets with floor plans. The buildings and facilities were still very well preserved in those years. It wasn't until the mid 70's when the Inquirer ran a story about the property and included a map leading people to the mansion, that the vandals took over and destroyed the property. Your photos of the mansion during construction and the later photos in all its splendor were incredible. I enjoyed reading the history of the Stotesbury family and the details of your research were most impressive. Thanks again for bringing back so many great memories for me.
Henry Buzgon (buzgon@bellsouth.net)
Tuesday Jan 20, 2004 at 10:51 PM EST

Thank you for the memories. Living right below the mansion on Patton Rd, from 1953 til I went away to college in '66 I spent countless hours playing on the grounds with my childhood friends, Ricky Drake, Allen Stipp, Peter Lehrer, Gordon & Tony Fels, Ronnie and Ricky Cantor, Bud & Fred Swope and many others. What an idyllic setting! The broad lawn in the back was the perfect football field. I've tried to convey to my 24 yr. old son what it was like, but with only a few old newspaper clippings it was hard. Your site has given him much insight.
Ron DeTemple (rdtgolfer@adelphia.net)
Carlsbad, CA USA - Sunday Jan 18, 2004 at 8:37 PM EST

Hello, I just moved to Stotesbury. I have never heard of it before, and I have lived in the area my whole life?? Your site is great and I would love to know more and see more pics. If you can let me know where I can see more info. I would also like to help search out info, in my spare time if I can.
Chuck (CellManiac@aol.com)
Wyndmoor, PA USA - Thursday Jan 15, 2004 at 8:54 PM EST

Gerry I enjoyed your site very much.
Wandie Little (wandie@enter.net)
Schnecksville, PA USA - Sunday Jan 11, 2004 at 10:41 AM EST

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