We have been waiting until it was o.k. to talk about this - Harriton House is getting a gift, an amazing gift, and here is the press release from Lower Merion Township (www.lowermerion.org):

Foundation Donates Funds to Keep Harriton Tract Intact

A generous donation by the William B. Dietrich Foundation will enable The Harriton Association to purchase the remaining private property, known as the Kalbach house, on the historic Harrison tract. “The Association had been approached by the owner of this property at 502 Harriton Road, who wished that it remain part of the contiguous Harriton tract upon its sale,” stated Bruce Gill, Curator for the Harriton Association. “Though a tremendous opportunity to preserve a historic property and grounds, it also presented a financial challenge to the Association.”

The philanthropic William B. Dietrich Foundation learned of this opportunity for historic preservation and requested that The Harriton Association propose programmatic uses for the available property. “The Kalbach house will help complete our long-term vision for the Harriton tract, which includes a museum to honor the Welsh settlement featuring cultural material and artifacts from Wales,” stated Gill. “The new property will allow us to showcase these items, which have been offered to The Harriton Association by the National Folk Museum of Wales at St. Fagans.”

In addition, the Kalbach property can also be used to house the Harriton beekeeping enterprise. “For environmental reasons and historical reasons, keeping honeybees on our landscape is an important, though small part of what we do at Harriton. Charles Thomson, Harriton’s most famous resident who created the Great Seal of the United States of America and was the only Secretary to the Continental Congresses, kept honeybees and extracted honey on these grounds. We continue the tradition today.”

Once acquired, the new grounds will also allow for expansion of the Harriton community vegetable garden program. New at the September 29th Harriton Country Fair this year was a “farmers market” of fruits and vegetables grown in the garden, many with historical significance, such as Indian Runner beans, French string beans and Black Spanish radishes grown in the 1700’s. Members of the Harriton Association sign up for a section of the garden, which they are responsible to maintain. “Our Community Garden has only been in use for one year, but has been very successful and we look forward to opening this opportunity up to more members of the Lower Merion community,” remarked Gill.

The core of the Kalbach house at 502 Harriton Road is the oldest building on the Harriton tract and dates to 1695. It has been continuously occupied since Rowland Ellis settled in the area and ultimately built what is now known as Harriton House. The single family home sits on approximately one acre; the surrounding properties on the tract are owned by The Harriton Association and Lower Merion Township.

The announcement of the donation was made on October 30th at the Harriton House. “This news is received with great excitement by both The Harriton Association Board of Directors as well as by the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners,” stated Ward 11 Commissioner Lewis Gould, who serves on both Boards. “We applaud the generosity of the William B. Dietrich Foundation and its acknowledgment of the Harriton tract’s great place in our history. Knowing that the three historic properties will be preserved together for future generations to see and experience and that programs will be created to further honor the rich history at Harriton is a meaningful and lasting contribution by the Foundation. This occasion also offers yet another opportunity to acknowledge the programs offered by The Harriton Association, which bring history to life in our community.”

More information on The Harriton Association is available by calling 610-525-0201 or visiting www.harritonhouse.org