The Lure of the Wissahickon Inn (Excerpt) by Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

THE LURE OF THE WISSAHICKON INN Paul Hines H’03 Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Philadelphia

THE LURE OF THE WISSAHICKON INN Paul Hines H’03

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Philadelphia

Copyright 2020 by Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Cover Photo: The Wissahickon Inn, Judy McCabe Jarvis ‘77, oil on canvas, 30 X 40 in., donated to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy by Pia & Stephen Druggan P’17 All photographs unless otherwise stated belong to the CHA or SCH archives.

To Charlie Landreth ‘29, the man who kept the stories of the Wissahickon Inn and Chestnut Hill Academy alive.

Landreth Field 2016

Old School In praise of the Wissahickon Inn The way some secrets disclose themselves, one small revelation at a time, is how you come to know it—through the light that catches the gingerbread scrollwork beneath the porch roof, the creak and groan of library floorboards, the classrooms whose windows whistle in the wind. The way you feel safe— as if this place has been here forever, as if you have been, like those sepia boys in the old photos that line the hallways with their game faces, leather helmets, high socks. The way everything sags and lists, the way edges and molding, once precise, have been layered to obscurity by paint or worn by years of boys’ ceaseless momentum, the rough affection of their hands, the pummeling of their feet. The way everything says I’m old but not antique, says, I will endure because I’m now a part of you as you’re a part of me, in the cumulated depths of my wood’s patina, the sunken treads of my stairs, in the way the new ones come, make me their own. Deidra Greenleaf Allan

The Wissahickon Inn ca. 1960

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................ 9 Foreword by Clark Groome ‘60 ................................................................................................... 11 Preface ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Beginnings: The Inn ........................................................................................................................ 15 Beginnings: Chestnut Hill Academy ........................................................................................... 21 The ‘Rec’..............................................................................................................................................25 The Chapel ........................................................................................................................................33 The Porches and Courtyard ......................................................................................................... 41 The Henry Library ............................................................................................................................ 47 Other First Floor Spaces in the Inn The Exchange ..................................................................................................................... 53 The Library Media Room .................................................................................................. 56 The Wissahickon Room .....................................................................................................59 The Math Wing .....................................................................................................................59 The Development Office ................................................................................................. 61 Second Floor Spaces in the Inn .................................................................................................. 63 Third Floor: Boarding Department ............................................................................................. 69 The Closing of the Boarding Department ................................................................................ 75 Renovations of the Third Floor .................................................................................................... 79 The Red Roof ................................................................................................................................... 83 Other Spaces The Music Wing .................................................................................................................. 85 The Elevator ........................................................................................................................ 86 The Arts Center .................................................................................................................. 86 Bagpiper and Drum Band Room ................................................................................... 88 The Rifle Range .................................................................................................................. 90 The Clothes Closet ........................................................................................................... 90

THE LURE OF THE WISSAHICKON INN

The Woodward Gym ..................................................................................................................... 93 The Pool - Cafeteria ....................................................................................................................... 99 The Arcade ..................................................................................................................................... 103 St. Martin’s Green .......................................................................................................................... 105 West Fields ...................................................................................................................................... 111 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 117 Sources ............................................................................................................................................ 119 About the Author ........................................................................................................................... 121

Bird’s-eye view of Chestnut Hill Academy in the early days Source: Caerulean 1937 The compass has been added to the map for orientation purposes.

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe my gratitude to the many people for assisting me in this project of writing the history of the Wissahickon Inn and its surrounding buildings and fields. Thanks to all those individuals whom I interviewed in the 1980s and 2019-20. Charlie Landreth ‘29 was the first to be interviewed in 1986. I am grateful to the boarders, who were still alive in the 1980s, who wrote me letters about life on the third floor of the Wissahickon Inn. I enjoyed hearing and reading all the stories. I am indebted to Clark Groome ‘60, who not only wrote an excellent book, New Beginnings Chestnut Hill Academy 1851-2011, about Chestnut Hill Academy, He also acted as my editor and wrote the forward for the book. Steve Druggan, the Springside Chestnut Hill head of school, supplied the inspiration to research and write the history and stories of the Inn and school. His wife, Pia Druggan, laid out book, took pictures around campus and searched through the archives and publications for pictures used for the book. Pia was assisted by a SCH parent and alumna, Christy Morse Kelly ‘87, in scanning photos. I am grateful to alumna Jenny McHugh ‘84, SCH director of development, and Sue Toomey H’15 for suggesting alums to be interviewed. A big thanks to all of my students who listened to me tell about the history of the school. Last but not least, I appreciate all the support from my wife, Lucy. She has heard me tell tales about the students, athletes, parents, trips, staff, and teachers of CHA and SCH for 40 years! Paul Hines H’03

THE LURE OF THE WISSAHICKON INN

Above: South lawn of the Inn ca. 1900 Below: North wing of the Inn ca. 1900 Source: 1961 Caerulean

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

FOREWORD Since 1884 the Wissahickon Inn has teemed with life. It started out as a resort for Philadelphians escaping the city’s heat. When Chestnut Hill Academy began classes there in 1898 the nature of its inhabitants changed drastically. That change, and the ones that have followed over the last 122 years, is only part of the story of a building that in many ways is still the same place it was when it opened. The warmth of the Exchange; the quiet of the Epiphany Chapel; the energy of students working in the Henry Library are all still evident at the home of a school that is vastly different now than it was when CHA’s boarders and day students first appeared there. Paul Hines H’03 has captured the building’s history in a lively and human way. Anyone who has worked or attended classes at CHA or SCH knows that this building is alive. It’s the center of a campus that welcomes boys and girls from their earliest days until they leave for their adventures after graduation. Read the stories alumni and former faculty have shared. Learn about the ghosts that some swear they’ve encountered in the haunted Inn. Remember what it was like when you were part of its life. Learn the history of the Inn and its neighboring buildings and playing fields. As you do, you will understand why this building is so important to so many. If you can, revisit it. It’s guaranteed to bring back memories and, more than likely, a smile. But be careful of the ghosts. Clark Groome ‘60

CHA logo

THE LURE OF THE WISSAHICKON INN

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

PREFACE The Wissahickon Inn has stood overlooking the Wissahickon Gorge for the past 136 years. Henry Howard Houston chose well for the site for his Inn and for his surrounding real estate development. The Inn was suited for a summer resort, and it fulfilled the interests of its visitors. As the Inn became Chestnut Hill Academy, the building adapted and accommodated the needs of the students as well as the boarders. Guest rooms became classrooms. A ballroom became a gym and then a chapel. Greens became playing fields. This is a story of how the Wissahickon Inn has evolved over the past 136 years. Spaces within the Inn and surrounding buildings and fields have stories to be told. Many of these stories are told by the teachers, students, staff, and parents who experienced its evolution. Many of these stories and details came from an oral history project, from 1986, with Charles Landreth ‘29, as the main source of the stories. More interviews were conducted in the fall of 2019. Also, in 1989, it was requested that CHA’s boarders, who were still living, write a letter describing their experiences in the boarding department. About a dozen responded with a letter about life on the third floor. Ruth Parachini’s History of Chestnut Hill Academy provided stories as well as background information. Clark Groome’s ‘60 New Beginnings: Chestnut Hill Academy 18512011, also provided material based on numerous interviews from many stake-holders from the CHA community. Campus Lanterns, yearbooks, and secondary sources were also consulted. North side of the Wissahickon Inn ca. 1890 with the original entrance in the background

THE LURE OF THE WISSAHICKON INN

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

BEGINNINGS:

THE INN Chestnut Hill Academy officially moved into the Wissahickon Inn during the fall of 1898. The Inn had acted as a summer destination for Philadelphia residents since 1884, when the Inn opened. The Inn helped fulfill the vision of Henry Howard Houston. He was on the board of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Houston made his fortune through a freightline during the American Civil War. Houston, who lived in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, saw the potential for the area north and west of Germantown for real estate development. He purchased 3,000 acres of land on either side of the Wissahickon Gorge. This land included parts of Chestnut Hill and Roxborough. He chose a section known as Wissahickon Heights and built a hotel to attract visitors to a cool summer environment to escape the noise, heat, and pollution of industrial Philadelphia. The site that Houston chose was the location of the Park House Hotel that was constructed in 1865 and burned down in 1877. Houston purchased the Park Hotel site from George W. Hill and 23 ¾ acres of land from Hiram Hartwell. Over a period of time, Houston constructed the Wissahickon Inn, the Philadelphia Cricket Club, the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and single and double houses for sale or rent in the neighborhood. He was also responsible for the construction of the Chestnut Hill line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The railroad allowed for the wealthier middle and Print of the Wissahickon Inn ca. 1890

THE LURE OF THE WISSAHICKON INN