Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Not Their First Pandemic – Remembering the Spanish Flu
The Pardee Family and the Flu Pandemic of 1918 With no effective drugs or vaccines to treat the killer flue epidemic of 1918, citizens were ordered to wear masks, and schools, theaters, and business closed. … Read more.
A Very Merry Christmas
Blithewold has thrown open its doors for the Christmas season, bringing the excitement of the season to all its visitors. After you have toured the elegantly decorated Mansion, soaking up the festive atmosphere within and … Read more.
Women’s Work
As we come to the end of our year celebrating the Pardee and Lyon families’ service to country, I offer one last reminder that the role of women during World War I was vital, though … Read more.
The Bristol Summerhouse
An Archives volunteer recently brought a magazine article to share with us. It was “Focal Points” by Garden Antiques dealer, Barbara Israel. She describes a visit to Winterthur to see an exhibit called “Follies: Architectural … Read more.
Early Days in Hazelton, Circa 1891
Marjorie Van Wickle was born in 1883 in Cleveland, Ohio, where her father, Augustus, was president of the South Mountain Coal company. Three years later they moved to Morristown, New Jersey so that Augustus could … Read more.
A New Portrait of Augustine
When visitors take the special tour of our extensive Archives and Collections department on the third floor, they invariably comment that we must know everything there is to know about the Pardee/Van Wickle family. But … Read more.
A New Painting by Marjorie
Blithewold has in its collection more than 500 paintings by Marjorie Van Wickle Lyon. Some are exhibited in the Mansion; many more are stored safely in the Archives and Collections facility on the third floor. … Read more.
Textile Conservation in Marjorie’s Bedroom
Blithewold’s Collections Committee decided last year that it would develop a project to repair and conserve the textile collection in the Mansion, including bed coverings, furniture upholstery, and window treatments. Everything, by definition, is more … Read more.
Educating Marjorie
Marjorie Van Wickle was born in 1883 in Cleveland, Ohio. Little is known about her early education until the family moved back to Hazleton, Pennsylvania, in 1892. There her parents, Augustus and Bessie Van Wickle, … Read more.
Happy Years At Blithewold
In the summer of 1978, eighteen months after the death of Marjorie Lyon, the East Bay Bulletin interviewed Tillie McDonnell, Marjorie’s long-time cook. Tillie had worked for Marjorie for more than forty years, and remained … Read more.
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