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Grumblethorpe
Most everything in Grumblethorpe belonged to the Wister family, and John Wister practically invented the American dream.
The German immigrant built Grumblethorpe in 1744 before building his own fortune and presiding over several generations of over-achievers like Charles Wister Sr. — who built an observatory on site and whose weather diary is still referenced today.
The wisteria plant is named after the Wister family, and a towering gingko tree that stands over the property is the oldest in North America.
Charles Jones Wister’s tool chest is on display at Grumblethorpe (some of his tools are at the Mercer Museum). The equipment that Charles Jones Wister used for his accomplishments as an astronomer, botanist and chemist is in pristine condition, as is the desk where Owen Wister wrote The Virginian.
The British occupied Grumblethorpe during the American Revolution.
Visitors can also see Sally Wister’s bedroom. Sally was sent to Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania when Grumblethorpe was occupied, and there she wrote her diaries that are still being published today.
The clothes, social mores and living conditions are different, but no matter what the century, teens are still teens. While today’s youth don’t have enemy soldiers living in their homes or have to suffer the hardships of war, Sally Wister’s 18th-century diary shows how teen crushes, boredom, peer pressure and rebellion span centuries – testing the patience of generations of parents.
If the giant-sized Victorian dollhouse in the nursery doesn’t capture kids’ attention, the stories of the Grumblethorpe ghost surely will.
Occupied by the British during the Revolution, Grumblethorpe’s living room floor still shows the blood stain where General Agnew died from a sniper’s bullet.
Grumblethorpe operates a seasonal farm stand and is open every second Saturday of the month from May to October.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.