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Our Next Meeting
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Annual Meeting Notice
NOTE: Before the featured presentation,
we will hold the Society's Annual Meeting (postponed from January) to briefly conduct some necessary official business, mainly the election of officers & board members and presentation of the annual report, followed by concise updates on the Society's status and ongoing activities.
This Society meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday February 15, 2026
at Tredyffrin Public Library in Strafford, Pa.
This event is co-sponsored by Tredyffrin Public Library
and event information is also available on the Tredyffrin Public Library website.
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Controversial 18th-Century Cookbooks
presented by Clarissa F. Dillon, Ph.D.
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Book Cover
Our February meeting will feature a presentation by Clarissa F. Dillon, Ph.D., a long-time Society member and respected historian.
Clarissa will explain the steps that lead to the publication in 2023 of A. Cook's Perspective: A Fascinating Insight into 18th-century Recipes by Two Historic Cooks, a book that she jointly authored with Deborah J. Peterson.
Ann Cook was an 18th-century cook and cookbook author. Her cookbook was printed in three editions and contained more than just receipts. For some reason, she had a real problem with Hannah Glasse’s cookbook, The Art of Cookery: Made Plain and Easy, which had been republished many times during the 18th century and would have been the first port of call for a puzzled cook or housekeeper. Cook’s book included vitriolic comments about a number of Glasse’s recipes.
Historic cooks Clarissa F. Dillon and Deborah J. Peterson applied their skills to investigate whether Cook’s remarks were valid. They prepared a number of recipes, both from Glasse and from Cook, and commented on the results. Although a number of people have written about these two women, their emphasis was on the comments, not on the validity of the criticisms. This approach makes this book unique.
We expect to have books available at the meeting for purchase and signing.
Clarissa Dillon grew up in Chicago. She taught there, and when she moved to Pennsylvania she taught in Radnor for 24 years. She has her doctorate in History from Bryn Mawr College and has been active in "living history"
since 1973. Although much of her work involves using her research to produce foods, domestic medicines, and other
products of 18th-century women's work, she enjoys the occasional "traditional" project.
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Upcoming Presentations and Events
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Meeting Schedule for Winter/Spring 2026:
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| 15 February |
Tredyffrin Library |
Controversial 18th-Century Cookbooks by Clarissa Dillon
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| 15 March |
Tredyffrin Library |
* General Louis Lebègue Duportail by Jim McKinley
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| 19 April |
Tredyffrin Library |
* The Unknown Stories of Boathouse Row by Dotty Brown
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| 17 May |
Tredyffrin Library |
* Back of the House and Beyond by Jeff Groff
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* More information about these upcoming meetings and events will be available soon.
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Please Note: Our regular meetings are held at either Tredyffrin Public Library in Strafford or Easttown Library in Berwyn
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Links to Recent Online Presentation Videos
Society Presentations
Chester County Historic Preservation Network 2021 Spring Workshop (6 March 2021)
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Past Special Events Sponsored by Other Organizations
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Tredyffrin Community Day
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The Society exhibited again at the 2025 Tredyffrin Township Community Day
on Saturday 4 October 2025 from 1 pm until 5 pm at Wilson Farm Park in Chesterbrook.
We enjoyed talking with the many people who stopped by and visited us.
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Mt. Zion AME Church
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Tredyffrin Township Historical Commission
Historical Walking Tour at Mt. Zion AME Church, Berwyn, PA
On Sunday, 28 April 2024, guided walking tours were held between 1 and 3 PM.
For more information, visit the Mt. Zion Historical Walk page.
170th Anniversary — Mt. Zion AME Church celebrated their 170th Anniversary
on Saturday 21 September 2018 from 10 am until 4 pm at 380 North Fairfield Road in Devon.
PA State Senator Andy Dinniman presented a proclamation at 10 am, and members of the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops (USCT) Reenactors presented a 21-gun salute and played "Taps," followed by tours of the historic church and cemetery, and a special service and banquet starting at noon.
Historical Marker — A state-sponsored historical marker commemorating the "Berwyn School Fight" of 1932–34 was dedicated on Saturday 21 November 2020 with a distinguished group of invited speakers in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
A large audience attended and the proceedings were video-recorded.
Graveyard Project — A front page article about the ongoing research and conservation and research project in the historic cemetery was published in the 29 January 2021 Daily Local.
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Paoli Battlefield Heritage Day
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The Society exhibited again at the again at the 2022 Paoli Battlefield Heritage Day
on Saturday 17 September 2022 from 11 am until 4 pm at Paoli Memorial Grounds in Malvern.
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Historic House Tour
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On Saturday 28 September 2019, the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust
held their 15th Annual Historic House Tour from 12 until 5 pm.
The proceeds support the rebuilding of the historic Jones Log Barn and the proposed Living History Center at Duportail.
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Paoli Blues Fest
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The Society exhibited in past years at the Paoli Blues Fest, but for various reasons, did not exhibit at the 2018 event,
and will not attend the 2019 event to be held on Saturday 28 September 2019 from noon until 6 pm at Paoli Presbyterian Church.
See more about the Society's past involvement here.
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Our Most Recent Meeting
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This Society meeting was held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday November 16, 2025
at and co-sponsored by the Easttown Library
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How National Parks Destroy History
presented by Dave Lawrence
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Valley Forge Village in 1878, before the creation of Valley Forge Park. Courtesy of Lee Kirts.
Our November meeting featured a presentation by David Lawrence, Park Guide and Historic Weapons Supervisor at Valley Forge National Historical Park.
Dave joined us for an engaging discussion on the challenges of preservation in the National Park Service, focusing on Valley Forge and its emphasis on 18th-century history. He explored how the park system addresses the challenges of maintaining historical integrity while embracing change, and herlped us understand how it navigates these complexities to ensure an enriching experience for visitors.
The development of Valley Forge Park, first by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and later by the National Park Service, resulted in many significant changes to the landscape and buildings in the area.
NOTE: This presentation was originally scheduled for the January 2025 meeting that was unfortunately canceled due to adverse weather conditions.
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Society Special Events
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"Behind the Doors"
The original Tredyffrin Easttown History Club occasionally held meetings at the various historic Inns in the area, as noted in this quote from an article about the history of the Club found in the October 1965 issue of the Quarterly (v.13 no.4, pg. 80):
On March 7, 1939 the first annual Banquet was held at the Windmill Tea Room (the General Jackson Inn) at Paoli. Originally the Club had these affairs at some historic inn. To date the following Inns have played host: The King of Prussia (once), Ye Old Bull Tavern (three times), General Warren (twice), Wayside Inn (General Jackson) (Five times).
Starting in 2013 this tradition was revived. So far we have visited two inns,
both with tours and history presentations followed by a delicious five course food and wine pairing dinner.
Both events were a great success and we look forward to more in the future.
For more information, view the individual invitations for these events:
A portion of the proceeds from these events benefits the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society.
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TEHS exhibits at local public libraries
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Did you know? The TEHS maintains a display case of local history materials in the Local History Room at the Tredyffrin Public Library.
The current exhibit highlights Herb Fry's book collection.
C. Herbert Fry was an active contributing member and officer of the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society for over thirty years.
Herb gave numerous talks and wrote over two dozen local history articles for the Society's History Quarterly periodical.
He and his late wife Barbara amassed a collection of historical photographs, books, articles and other research materials that filled two closets.
Following his death in July 2018, all of his local history materials came to the Society. One of his special interests was Valley Forge,
and his books on the subject numbered over forty. Eight of these are displayed in this case.
Another example is this book by Frank Resavy & Tom McNichol.
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During the month of April 2018, a display case in the main entry hall of the Easttown Library in Berwyn
contained an exhibit featuring nine historic photos of Berwyn with intriguing captions, testing the viewer's knowledge of the area.
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S. Paul Teamer Awards
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As we passed the milestone of our 75th anniversary as an organization in 2012, it seemed fitting to establish a new annual award to recognize the especially significant contributions made by some of our members over the years. In considering what name this award should have we decided to reach back to the very beginning of what was then The Tredyffrin Easttown History Club and to founder and first president S. Paul Teamer. It is certainly worthwhile to look back at those first few volumes of the Quarterly and rediscover the noteworthy articles written by Teamer and his colleague Franklin L. Burns, among others, who set a high standard for those who followed.
S. Paul Teamer Award Recipients
(† posthumous, * since deceased)
| 2012 | Sue Andrews*, Herb Fry*, Joyce Post* |
| 2013 | Bob Goshorn†, Mike Bertram |
| 2014 | Franklin L. Burns†, Roger D. Thorne |
| 2015 | Barbara Fry†, Mary Robertson Ives*, Clarissa F. Dillon |
| 2016 | John O. Senior |
| 2018 | Tim Lander, Cheryl Leibold, Michael Morrison* |
| 2019 | Jim Brazel, Heidi Sproat |
| 2020 | Bart Van Valkenburgh |
| 2021 | Meg Wiederseim |
| 2023 | Marianne Hooper Furman |
| 2024 | Bertha Jackmon |
| 2025 | Stacey Ballard |
At the January 2012 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to present the S. Paul Teamer Award
for outstanding contributions to the Society to the first three recipients: Sue Andrews, Herb Fry, and Joyce Post.
At the January 2013 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to announce the names of the next two recipients of the award:
Bob Goshorn (posthumous) and Mike Bertram.
Since Mike was unable to attend this meeting, his award will be presented at a future meeting.
At the January 2014 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to announce the names of the 2014 recipients of the award:
Franklin L. Burns (posthumous) and former president Roger D. Thorne.
At the May 2015 Meeting (rescheduled from the January 2015 Annual Meeting cancelled due to adverse weather conditions),
we were pleased to recognize the 2015 recipients of the award:
Barbara Fry (posthumous), Mary Robertson Ives (emeritus), and Clarissa F. Dillon.
At the January 2016 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to present the award to:
John O. Senior.
(L-R): Roger Thorne and Society President Michael Morrison
with 2016 award recipient Vice-President John O. Senior
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Society President Michael Morrison with 2012 award recipients
(L-R):Joyce Post, Morrison, Herb Fry, Sue Andrews
Society Vice-President John O. Senior with 2014 award recipient Roger Thorne and President Michael Morrison
(L-R): Roger Thorne (on behalf of Mary Roberson Ives), Herb Fry (on behalf of Barbara Fry), President Michael Morrison,
and Clarissa Dillon
receive the 2015 awards
For several reasons, the award was not presented in 2017, but at the January 2018 Annual Meeting,
Michael Morrison, Tim Lander, and Cheryl Leibold were recognized as new recipients.
2018 award recipients Michael Morrison, Tim Lander, and Cheryl Leibold with President John O. Senior
(Note: The Philadelphia Eagles were playing for the NFC championship later that day, so John was wearing the team colors.)
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2019 award recipient Heidi Sproat
with John O. Senior
2019 award recipient Jim Brazel
with Roger Thorne
2020 award recipient Bart Van Valkenburgh with John O. Senior
At the January 2019 Annual Meeting,
Heidi Sproat (unable to attend) and Jim Brazel were recognized as new recipients.
At the January 2020 Annual Meeting,
Bart Van Valkenburgh was recognized as the new recipient.
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2023 recipient Marianne Hooper
with John O. Senior
2024 recipient Bertha Jackmon
with John O. Senior
2025 recipient Stacey Ballard
with John O. Senior
At the January 2021 (Online) Annual Meeting,
Meg Wiederseim was recognized as the new recipient.
The January 2022 Annual Meeting was not held.
At the January 2023 Annual Meeting,
Marianne Hooper Furman was recognized as the new recipient.
At the January 2024 Annual Meeting,
Bertha Jackmon was recognized as the new recipient.
At the February 2025 Annual Meeting,
Stacey Ballard was recognized as the new recipient.
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