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Revision as of 22:08, 2 July 2006 by Zoe (talk | contribs) (→Eyres, 1816-1846: {{unsourced}})(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Grange Estate is a historic mansion in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Built in 1700, it has been alternately owned by the Lewis, Wilcox, Cruikshank, Ross, Brinton, Eyre, Ashhurst, Kelly, and Hoffman families. It was purchased by the Haverford township in 1974.
Owners and History
Lewises, 1700-1750
Henry Lewis, a Welsh Quaker, was one of the first three European settlers in Haverford Township. Arriving in 1682, he built his home on 500 acres and named it Maen Coch, meaning Red Stone, the name of his village in Wales. In 1700 Henry Lewis, Jr. built the first section of the mansion, which is presently the drawing room. In 1730 he added the library and stair hall.
Wilcoxes, 1750-1761
The property was sold in 1750 to Captain John Wilcox by Henry Lewis, III. Wilcox added to the house; made changes in the original structure to provide a large, more formal room for entertaining; and changed the name to Clifton Hall.
Cruikshanks,1761-1768 (sometimes recorded as 1761-1776)
Of all the mansion's occupants, the Cruikshanks had one of the shortest tenure there and were arguably the most hated family to ever inhabit the place. After his daughter Clementia's marriage to a one John Ross of Philadelphia, Charles Cruikshank found himself in-laws with a man whom he came to regard as a vile traitor to Britain. Immediately following the American Revolution, Cruikshank, an ardent Loyalist, left the United States. Cruikshank's political views made him the target of great scorn throughout his community, and local citizens were exceedingly pleased to see John and Clementia Ross take full control of the mansion during the Revolution.
Rosses, 1768 (sometimes 1776)-1800
Under John and Clementia Ross, social life at the mansion did a dramatic about-face. While only the most stringent British patriots were allowed to frequent Grange Estate during Charles Cruikshank's time, the manor became one of the Revolution's social centers. During the American War of Independence, General George Washington routinely dined there with the Ross family, as did a number of his lieutenants. The Rosses are one of the more popular families to have lived in the mansion. John Ross died suddenly in 1800, and the mansion remained in legal limbo for some eleven years before finally being acquired by John Brinton in 1811.
Brintons, 1811-1816
John Brinton and his family lived at the Grange for only five years before selling it to the Eyre family. They did not make any significant architectural changes to the estate during that time.
Eyres, 1816-1846
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The largest, wealthiest, and most rambunctious family to own the estate, the Eyres moved in in 1816. Manuel Eyre, II, great nephew of the Revolutionary patriot Jehu Eyre and grandson of Manuel Eyre, I (a member of the Committees of Correspondence) bought the building and made it thoroughly his own. The large bath house outside was converted into a school-house for his eight boisterous children. When Manuel's children were young, there was never a dull moment. They were constantly upending tables, pranking their tutors, luring servants onto balconies, and just generally causing as much disruption as possible. Manuel, whose family had loaned substantial sums to the Continental Congress, valued the house for historic and patriotic reasons. When Manuel died in 1846, his daughter Harriet Eyre, married to John Ashhurst, remained in residence. Control of the home, however, was now officially in the hands of the Ashhurst family.
Ashhursts, 1846-1848
John and Hariet Ashhurst lived at the Grange only two years before selling it to Denis Kelly, a decision that they would later regret intensely.
Nearby Ashurst Road (without one "h") is named for these previous owners.
Kellys, 1848-1850
Denis Kelly, owner of several textile mills in the local area, purchased the mansion from the Ashhursts in 1848. His family's tenure in the estate was shorter than that of any other. Just two years after he moved in, the Ashhursts approached him about buying the home back. Though initially reluctant to relinquish the estate, Kelly was eventually offered such an exorbitant sum for it from the Ashhursts that he could not refuse. He made no significant changes to the manor.
Ashhursts Return, 1850-1911
In 1850, John and Harriet Ashhurst became the first (and, as of 2005, only) owners of the Grange to leave and then return. Using the vast fortune that they had inherited from the Eyre legacy, they intiated the most extensive renovations of the mansion in its 300 year history. A porte cochere was added, as well as an entire new wing. A network of outbuildings was added to facilitate the many servants and guests who came to the estate. The construction was so all-encompassing that it lasted for thirteen years, ending in 1863. As a child, Leroy Heller (born 1877) would visit the Ashhursts (his fifth cousins) frequently. Leroy, descended from Manuel Eyre's great-uncle Jehu, would be the last of the Eyre line to carry the family fortune. Today, his daughter Elsa advises the Haverford Historical Society, drawing on extensive knowledge of the mansion from her father's boyhood days there. The Ashhursts remained at the Grange until 1911. By tragic coincidence, all three of their sons died around this time, and the mansion was left vacant from 1911-1913.
Hoffmans, 1913-1974
Benjamin Hoffman purchased the Grange in 1913. He and his wife Margaret, an avid horticulturalist, planted beautiful gardens that remain one of the mansion's most spectacular features. Margaret Hoffman's estate sold the mansion to the Haverford Township in 1974.
Present day
Since purchasing the mansion in 1974, the Haverford Township has opened it to public tours and has found it a useful source of revenue. In 2005, the Township began to informally consult Elsa Heller Peters, daughter of Leroy Heller, about the manor's history. Through stories told her by her father, Mrs. Peters was able to provide new information about the mansion's background and the family life of the Ashursts. In the summer of 2005, the Peters family was given a private tour of the mansion. Since the Crash of 1929, however, Leroy Heller's descendants have not had access to the enormous wealth of their ancestors, and it seems unlikely that the Peters or any other family will purchase the mansion within the foreseeable future.
Sources
http://www.thegrangeestate.org/history.html http://members.aol.com/Waltztyme/grangemansiono.gif
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