TRUST News
Chairman's Message
Last year was a pivotal year for the Trust. In addition to satisfying our loan with the township and receiving a grant from the Chester County Convention and Visitors Bureau, we retained the firm of Frens and Frens Restoration Architects of West Chester to develop the design schematics, renderings, and construction drawings to rebuild the Jones Log Barn. With the design and realistic cost estimates in place, we are now developing our final rebuilding and interpretive use plan. By October we hope to have a professionally designed informational "brochure" that will help us with our fund raising campaign. To that end we hope all of you – if you haven’t already – will participate in our "Adopt-A-Log" program to rebuild the barn.
Meanwhile, our Lecture Series continues to grow in popularity and importance. As I write this we are gearing up for a very busy fall: our 1st Annual Historic House Tour and our fall Lecture Series. Information on both events is included in this Newsletter. We continue to offer our popular calendars and note cards; the 2006 calendar features the historic houses and schoolhouses of the House Tour.
To rebuild the Jones Log Barn, over the next two years the Trust will be spearheading a major fundraising campaign. We will be reaching out to you, our members, as well as corporations, foundations, and other entities throughout the area. We look forward to your support, whether financial or by "opening the door" to potential sponsors. Your help with our various committees is also greatly appreciated. If you are interested, or if you are simply looking to donate some of your time to a worthy cause – and institution – please call me at (610) 722-5818.
Robert J. Wise, Jr.
Fundraising News
Since our last newsletter, we are happy to report that we have received $35,000 from the Township as part of the surplus funds from the Wilson Farm Park grand opening celebration. In addition, The Quaker City Fund has given us $500. This funding will be applied to the reconstruction of the Jones Log Barn.
In July, we received a fully documented schematic design report and color renderings for the barn. This is exciting news as we will now be able to take this information and cost estimates to potential supporters! A new color brochure will be designed in the next two months. This fall we will approach the business community for donations as our capital campaign begins. In addition, we will do a mailing to all residents asking for their financial support.
While grant approvals and corporate donations are becoming more competitive, as evidenced by other local fundraising efforts, we continue to believe we will be successful in our campaign with your support. Remember, we are a 501(c)(3) organization so your donations are tax deductible! And the Trust may be eligible for matching funds from your employer!
From the Treasurer
The Trust introduced its Adopt-A-Log program in October, 2004. To date this program has raised $4,690 with its various levels of participation. The program, Adopt-A-Log makes a great gift to commemorate a special occasion, a birthday, anniversary, retirement. This is a gift with a very lasting impact, supporting a very worthwhile cause in your own community. Next time you have a special occasion to commemorate, we hope that you will think of the Trust and our Adopt-A-Log program. The Trust is preparing a certificate, suitable for framing, to be presented to all Adopt-A-Log participants.
Our sincere thanks to all who have supported this program with their hearts and their dollars – we hope to see your name in the near future. For information about this program, either see our website www.tredyffrinhistory.org or contact Bob Wise at (610) 722-5818.
Special Events News
In this newsletter, please look for details about our very exciting 1st Annual Historic House Tour coming up on Sunday, September 25th! In addition, our Fall Lecture Series has been has been scheduled – we are looking forward to 2 wonderful lectures. We are pleased to announce our first lecture, on Thursday, October 20th, will be by John Milner, of John Milner Architects, in Chadds Ford, PA. Mr. Milner’s lecture will be held at the historic Duportail House in Chesterbrook, and will feature his recent book, Stone Houses: Traditional Homes of Pennsylvania’s Bucks County and Brandywine Valley.
We are also delighted to announce that Jeff Groff, Executive Director of Wyck, will return for a lecture on December 15th at the Tredyffrin Library. Jeff’s lecture is titled "A Return to Simplicity: The Colonial Revival". You will find separate flyers detailing the House Tour and the Fall Lecture Series in this newsletter. I would encourage you to return the order forms with your payment as soon as possible – the House Tour has a limit of 100 tickets to be sold; and both of the lectures have limited seating. We don’t want you to miss out on these special events! Please visit our website at www.tredyffrinhistory.org for the history of the Jones Log Barn and the creation of the Trust along with updates about fundraising efforts, lectures, special events, etc.
House Tour Volunteers Needed - Can You Help?
Each of the historic homes and schoolhouses on the tour will have an Executive Board member of the Trust overseeing the volunteers at that property. However, we are in need of additional volunteers to help on the day of the event. We need help with the staffing of the houses, parking, traffic, etc. If you are willing to donate 3 hours of your time on September 25th, please give Pattye Benson a call at (610)644-6759. The success of this event depends on the help of many volunteers!
