The Mystery of the Magees

July 3, 2014

Several weeks ago, our friends at Laurel Hill Cemetery informed us that there was a possible error in the information provided on The Woodlands website about James F. Magee, a prominent Philadelphian associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Each cemetery claimed him as a "Notable Resident," but he couldn't possibly have been buried in both places! Our summer intern Katie started sleuting and solved the mystery! Check out her research below.

Two James Magees, buried in two different historical cemeteries in Philadelphia. Which James Magee was the famed “Father of the Pennsylvania Railroad?” And who was the other man?

The search began with some basic cemetery sleuthing: looking at lot cards (see below).

Lot card of the Magee Family lot at The Woodlands, Section I, Lot 1016.

Big Clue #1: The James F. Magee buried at The Woodlands died in 1903 at age 70. If he had been the Magee of the Pennsylvania Railroad, he would have been 12 when he became a founder and director.

Part of the mystery was solved: the famous Magee associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad is buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery. However, more research exposed the life of his nephew, the James F. Magee buried at The Woodlands--especially his impact on the fields of chemistry and photography, and his contributions to the city of Philadelphia

Magee Family tree (prepared by Katie Breiner using Ancestry.com).

James Francis Magee (1834 - 1903) was born June 5, 1834 to Michael Magee and Catherine Horter. His father was a successful chemist from a prominent Philadelphia family. His uncle James later became the famous head of the Pennsylvania Railroad. James F. Magee spent his childhood in Philadelphia, raised in a house on Germantown Road. He graduated from Central High School in 1850. After high school, Magee followed his uncle’s footsteps and worked for the railroad. He left quickly, however, deciding to move to Germany began to study chemistry diligently under Hofrath Wöhler, one of the most notable German chemists.

"A reproduction of a daguerrotype of James F. Magee, taken about the time he went abroad." From An American Student Abroad: From the Letters of James F. Magee. — "A reproduction of a daguerrotype of James F. Magee, taken about the time he went abroad." From *An American Student Abroad: From the Letters of James F. Magee*.

Big Clue #2: Magee traveled extensively throughout Europe and described his studies and experiences to his family through extensive letters, which his grandson compiled and published after his death. He wrote to his father on June 16, 1855:

My time here passes very pleasantly. I like Professor Wöhler very much and he devotes all his time to his students. I spend about nine hours a day in the laboratory… and although I have about sixteen working hours, the day seems very short. The quietness of the town I like very much, with no inducements for anything but study.

After his education and adventures, he returned to Philadelphia in 1856 and bought a laboratory on 5th Street. He started a chemical manufacturing business, soon to be the J.F. & M.H. Magee company, that specialized in solutions used for photography. Their chemicals were considered to be the best of their kind.

In December of 1859, he married Cynthia Ann Jarden and they moved to 1716 Vine Street.

Big Clue #3: According to the 1880 Philadelphia Census, he lived at the above address with his wife, four children named Cynthia W., Michael J., James F., and George W. Magee, his mother-in-law Cynthia E. Jarden, and two servants, Annie Henry and Mary Carroll.

"James F. Magee, from a later photograph." From An American Student Abroad: From the Letters of James F. Magee. — "James F. Magee, from a later photograph." From *An American Student Abroad: From the Letters of James F. Magee*.

Big Clue(s) #4: Magee’s name was written in numerous newspaper articles on lists of donors and attendees for special events around the city. While Magee made his business profitable, he also was very active in his own church, Arch Street Presbyterian, and the general Presbyterian community. He was the treasurer of the Presbyterian Home for Widows and Single Women, a trustee of the Presbyterian Hospital, and a member of the Social Union, to name a few.

Big Clue #5: The Inquirer’s obituary states that James F. Magee “died suddenly” at the age of 69 on October 3, 1903. His sons inherited his effects, valued at $439,448.53.

Despite the fact that our James Magee was not as renowned as his uncle, he still left his own legacy for the city of Philadelphia.

There are still questions left unanswered in this case: How did Magee die? Did he inherit most of his money, or did he make his business that profitable? How did his chemicals affect the history of photography? The mystery continues…

---by Katie Breiner

RESOURCES

Magee, James Francis, and George Washington Magee. An American Student Abroad: From the Letters of James F. Magee. Philadelphia: Magee, 1932. Print.

"Caught on the Fly." Philadelphia Inquirer 20 Jan. 1895: 6. America's Historical Newspapers. Web. 24 June 2014.

"Presbyterians Dine February Banquet of the Social Union and Its Lady Friends at [Illegible]." Philadelphia Inquirer 25 Feb. 1890: 4. America's Historical Newspapers. Web. 24 June 2014.

"Presbyterian Home Officers." Philadelphia Inquirer 12 Dec. 1896: 15. America's Historical Newspapers. Web. 24 June 2014.

"Facts." Ancestry. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2014 <http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx>.

Philadelphia Inquirer 3 July 1861: 5. America's Historical Newspapers. Web. 20 June 2014.

Philadelphia Inquirer 6 Oct. 1903, 149th ed., sec. 98: 4. America's Historical Newspapers. Web. 20 June 2014.

Philadelphia Inquirer 27 Oct. 1903: 15. America's Historical Newspapers. Web. 24 June 2014.

Philadelphia Inquirer 11 Nov. 1903: 15. America's Historical Newspapers. Web. 24 June 2014.

Birding Smackdown: The 2014 Results

May 21, 2014

For those of you following the great Birding Smackdown of 2014, we're happy to present you with the final results of our FIRST annual birding competition that pitted Bartram's Garden against The Woodlands during spring migration (April 26 - May 4, 2014).

After nine days of birding, a little trashtalking, and quite a few pairs of eagle eyes, the results are in, and the winning site of the 2014 Birding Smackdown is Bartram's Garden! They get bragging rights until next year's smackdown, and the satisfaction of publically shaming The Woodlands on social media for a week or two (don't worry, we're taking it in stride--we'll get 'em next year!).

Ready for some numbers? Here are the results for bird sightings at both sites!

Bartram's Garden

Total number of birds reported: 718
Total number of species sighted: 93
Rarities: Black Vulture, Black Crowned Night Heron, Red-necked Grebe, and Blue-headed Vireo (all images from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

The Woodlands

Total number of birds reported: 469
Total number of species sighted: 64
Rarities: Orchard Oriole, Wood Thrush, Prairie Warbler, Purple Finch, and Blue Grosbeak (all images from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Each site will be contacting their winning teams and individuals with information on their prizes. (Shout out to the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University for providing us with tickets to their new exhibit Birds of Paradise!) The results from all of our participants will be invaluable to each site as we continue to track migration patterns and species diversity.

Check out some more photos below of students from Penn Alexander on a bird-watching visit (taken by Marlene Gawarkiewicz)!

Trailblazers, Yesterday & Today: Alice Fisher and Jean C. Whelan, PhD., R.N.

April 24, 2014

This month, Trailblazers profiles the work of two incredible females in medicine: Alice Fisher and Jean C. Whelan, PhD, RN. Alice Fisher now resides in Lot 360 of Section N of The Woodlands. Jean Whelan, her contemporary counterpart, works only a few blocks away at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Alice Fisher was a nurse who was born in England and moved to Philadelphia in 1884 to found the School of Nursing at the Blockley Almshouse and Hospital. As a young woman she studied at the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas Hospital in England and then served in several British hospitals before her move to the United States. Once in Philadelphia she undertook the reform of Blockley Almshouse, which later became Philadelphia General Hospital [PGH], and is now part of the University of Pennsylvania medical campus. Blockley was the first institution built on land sold from the Hamilton estate, and Fisher established a School of Nursing there to combat the unhealthy, disorderly conditions of the hospital. In the four short years that Fisher worked at Blockley, she transformed the hospital and established a new generation of nurses to care for Philadelphia's citizens. Fisher's legacy continues through the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1991 Penn's Center for the Study of the History of Nursing installed a memorial to Fisher on her grave.

We asked Jean to tell us more about her work and how Fisher's pioneering work in the field of nursing has influenced her career.

What is your current position?
I am currently the Assistant Director of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Nursing at the University Of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

How did you get to where you are today?
I have been a nurse for 44 years. Most of clinical experience was as a staff nurse, Assistant Head Nurse and later as a clinical supervisory nurse at a large municipal hospital in New York City. I also worked as a public health nurse and as a visiting nurse for a time. I moved to Philadelphia in 1976 where I began working in nursing education at several schools of nursing in the area. This provided me with an opportunity to blend my clinical experience with education in preparing future nurses, an activity I loved. Throughout this period, I also continued my own education, earning a masters’ degree and later a PhD in nursing history. Today I work in a position at the Bates Center which combines my research in and knowledge of nursing history with administrative skills. As part of my job, I run programs sponsored by the Bates Center which bring nursing history to both scholarly and public audiences.

How has the work of Alice Fisher influenced you in your profession?
In one sense I feel a kinship with Fisher and with her work in a tax-supported municipal institution. When I was a student, my clinical experiences were at Bellevue Hospital in New York, an institution very similar to PGH. After graduation I spent several years working in another municipal hospital. I like to think that the time I spent delivering care to a population of mainly medical indigent patients and the way it shaped my approach to nursing has similarities to Fisher’s commitment to health care.

Further, my main area of research focuses on the historical underpinnings of nurses work, in which I look at how the conventions of nurses’ work were established, what types of work activities early nurses did and how we have supplied nurses to the sick public over time. Alice Fisher was an early pioneer in establishing the nursing profession in the US. When I think of Fisher’s impact on the profession I am very impressed with how she came from England, created a school of nursing with very limited resources and influenced the trajectory of nursing education in a remarkable short period of time. One of the significant lessons that can be extracted from looking at Fisher’s life and work is that you can make a tremendous impact on society if you are smart, focused and persistent. She was also quite charismatic and very savoy in figuring out who could be of great help to her as she set up the PGH School and nursing service. I would be very happy if I could figure out how to channel her charisma and savviness!

What is your favorite part of Fisher’s work or legacy?
Fisher came to this country to work in a tax supported institution, PGH, which provided services to the poorest of society. In the 19th century the patients of PGH, who were often referred to as “inmates” did not garner tremendous sympathy and care from those better off. Yet, Fisher revolutionized the care provided to those patients and at the same time effectively created a school and nursing service of high professional standards. That she was able to combine care of the poorest members in society with advancing the education of nurses is commendable.

If you could ask her one question today, what would it be?
How did you ever accomplish so much in such a short period of time and earn a reputation for being such a wonderful, pleasant, caring person?

You can rediscover the biographies of our permanent residents everyday. Visit The Woodlands anytime of the year--the gates are open from dawn 'til dusk!

Trailblazers, Yesterday & Today: Delores Inez Pollard Carter & Louis H. Carter

February 27, 2014

In a cemetery where more than 30,000 souls have been laid to rest over almost two centuries, The Woodlands truly is a garden of biographies. It is a place where stories are rediscovered and retold daily; where imagination, reality and memory converge. And while it should never be a surprise when we learn of the amazing lives many of our residents lived, it is a constant and astonishing reminder of how special this place is when another chapter of the story of The Woodlands is told.

A family portrait from Richard and Mark's childhood. Image courtesy of Richard Carter.

This month’s Trailblazers are a husband and wife with strong ties to West Philadelphia who were laid to rest at The Woodlands in the recent past. To help us celebrate Black History Month, their son, Richard Carter, shares the legacy of his parents, Delores Inez Pollard Carter (1927—2008) and Louis H. Carter (1926—2011).

Delores was a musician, social worker, educator, and artist. As a public school teacher for over 30 years, she was one of the first African American educators in Wilmington, Delaware, and also taught at Bache Elementary School and Hamilton Elementary School in Philadelphia. During her retirement, she volunteered at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for more than a decade, tutored illiterate adults, and also gave her time to Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired [ABVI] by recording books and periodicals. In 2006, one of her paintings was featured on the poster for the Flower Market (the annual flower show held in Rittenhouse Square Park in Philadelphia). Although she passed away in 2008, her legacy as a teacher lives on in the countless lives she influenced over the course of her career. To her family, “her examples of humility, perseverance, kindness, strength, and faith continue to inspire.”

Louis also left behind a teaching legacy when he passed in 2011. Educated as a teacher and a social worker, he served in the US Army during WWII, and worked in child and public welfare, criminal and juvenile justice and mental health. In 1970, he joined the faculty of the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, where he became the first African-American tenured professor of social work at Penn. Professor Louis Carter “carved his own niche at the School of Social Policy & Practice via his extension of the scholarship and practice surrounding the ‘functional approach,’ application of Otto Rank’s human engagement theory of will, and his commitment to critical analysis of institutionalized racism and its destructive impact on the human condition. He creatively used his life experience as course content to examine critical issues facing social work practitioners invested in efficacious practice,” said his son Richard Carter. After his death, Penn established the Louis H. Carter Endowed Lectureship, a program that invites speakers to the University annually to lecture on issues of race and racism. (Learn how you can contribute to Professor Carter's legacy at Penn at the end of this post.)

The legacy and impact of Delores and Louis continues in the professions chosen by their sons: Mark, a social worker, and Richard, an educator. Richard generously provided us with the incredible history of his parents’ lives and told us more about the impact their work and accomplishments have had on him.

What is your current position or profession?
I am an educator having served on the post-secondary and K-12 levels. Currently, I am a middle school principal. Mark is licensed social worker who has served in leadership positions in various non-profit agencies. He currently engages families and communities in Baltimore, Maryland via the organization Elev8.

How did you get to where you are today?
Our mother and father offered my brother and me strong examples of supporting underserved populations through professional practice. They also provided us with resources and opportunities to be well educated. Our mother took great care to expose us to the broader world around us. Dad and Mom provided us with structure and expectation throughout our childhoods.

How has the work of your parents influenced or impacted your choice of profession and your personal interests?
My brother pursued social work as a career and I am an educator. I would say that our parents had a huge impact on our professional priorities. Their examples made great impressions on us both. Mark is very creative and collects African and African-American art. I enjoy signing. Mom and Dad impacted the development of those interests as well.

What is your favorite part of their work, and why?
This is a difficult question because there are multiple favorites. With respect to my father, I am most proud of his accomplishment of being the first African-American professor to earn tenure in the School of Social Work [now the School of Social Policy and Practice] at the University of Pennsylvania. His practice there positively influenced and inspired generations of social workers. Dad sacrificed a great deal to reach his professional goals. Regarding my mother, I most admire her courage and humility. Each time that I imagine her boarding the train from Princeton to New York to attend classes at New York University as an undergraduate [and later as a graduate student] beginning in the 1940s, I am struck by her determination as both a woman and as an African-American. She was a "first" as well; having integrated the public school teaching ranks in Wilmington, Delaware. Mom was humble and rarely spoke about her vast accomplishments.

If you could ask either (or both!) of them one question today, what would it be?
I would ask them what Heaven is like and what things that they would most like for their 3 grandchildren to understand and remember about them.

You can rediscover the biographies of our permanent residents everyday. Visit The Woodlands anytime of the year--the gates are open from dawn 'til dusk!

If you'd like to make a contribution to the Louis H. Carter Endowed Lectureship, visit Penn's website, select Schools under the General Area option, Social Policy and Practice under Programs, and select Louis H. Carter Endowed Lectureship under the specific fund.

The Woodlands provides 54 acres of open green space in University City that is open to the public 365 days a year.

The Woodlands Connects with MBTA

February 7, 2014

The Woodlands is proud to share that Mark B. Thompson and Associates (MBTA) has been chosen to lead the Woodlands Connects master planning process. The decision follows an extensive search process that elicited responses from over ten different landscape architecture and planning firms from across the state. While there were many strong proposals filled with creative thinking, MBTA was ultimately chosen on the basis of the firm’s proven experience crafting innovative and thoughtful master plans for historically sensitive sites.

Master plan for Fairmount Water Works, prepared by MBTA.

MBTA will head up a diverse team of practitioners with a wide range of professional expertise. The team will include the architects and planners of MBTA, landscape architects from Viridian Landscape Studio, trail consultants from Urban Engineers, and environmental consultants from Meliora Design. The project will be managed by Claire Donato, a principal of MBTA with more than 24 years’ experience. This experience includes her role managing The Woodlands’ ongoing cryptoporticus restoration project; and her preexisting familiarity with The Woodlands is sure to be an asset in the creation of the master plan.

MBTA, a Philadelphia based architecture and planning firm, has previously worked on the master plan for the Fairmount Water Works, the Villanova University master plan, and the restoration of the historic New Milford Water Plant. Viridian Landscape Studio is also based in Philadelphia, and the firm has crafted creative landscapes for the Audubon Center, Bartram’s Garden, and the Philadelphia Zoo among other locations. Both firms are committed to a people-centered approach to design and are dedicated to undertaking a planning process that includes the contributions of the stakeholders and users of The Woodlands.

A successful master plan for a complex site like The Woodlands must take into consideration a multitude of factors, including historic preservation, ecology, and community engagement. This range of factors calls for the assortment of experiences and skills that is represented by the master planning team. As the first stage of the planning process commences, The Woodlands looks forward to realizing a comprehensive, yet realistic, vision of the future that combines the professional expertise of the master planning team with your hopes for the site. Stay tuned to the blog for further updates as this exciting project begins!