Mansion of the Month

[Braveheart]

The winner for February is the Alan Wood crib c1890 which overlooks the Schuylkill
and Conshohocken in Gladwynne. The long-time stewards are Mother Divine and the
followers of the Divine religious sect. Open to the public some Sundays even to include
dinner (call first). Located on Spring Mill Rd across from Phila. Country Club.

[stock]

Is that the same Divine as the Divine Lorain Hotel? Father Divine....

[Braveheart]

Hey Stock, yeah it's the same group. The pic doesn't come close to doing it justice.

[Malloy]

Hey Stock, yeah it's the same group. The pic doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Agreed. The place is just stunning.

[NJbound]

just a little place there. lol.. Must be cheap to heat if ya keep the temperature down lol

[jazzcat]

Another pic.....and I think that Mother Divine may still be alive.

here's a link...including more pictures

http://www.sheldontimes.com/story/to...other-divine-0

http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/con...6786188171.jpg

[Braveheart]

Another pic.....and I think that Mother Divine may still be alive.

http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/con...6786188171.jpg

Thanks Jazz much better pic of the house details. Last time I got close they wanted us to stay for dinner, but the wife
wasn't wearing the required skirt.

[OldMaestro]

I didn't even know this place and it's weird story existed until someone posted this here a few weeks ago-

Philly Bricks: Divine Remains

I would like to tour this place.

[Eastcoast]

Man, I've got to start me a religion...or at least a sect.

[stock]

Man, I've got to start me a religion...or at least a sect.

there's money in god

[Braveheart]

I didn't even know this place and it's weird story existed until someone posted this here a few weeks ago-

Philly Bricks: Divine Remains

I would like to tour this place.

I only read the first part of your link to the Main Line Times and got the gist that the property is unprotected by a
conservation easement. I was already aware since being a child of the unusual nature of the sect as they were conspicuous
in a group of Cadillac limos driving about this area. They were all black c1960s with elevated roofs and full of dressed up
followers. As kids we had a fort in an old springhouse very close to this property in the woods above the Schuylkill Expy.

Before reading the whole story I can share my personal experience that they were a benevolent group that extended
hospitality to me upon an uninvited visit to the subject mansion. It is not my place to judge their beliefs having since
served with the USMC and taking an oath to uphold the US Constitution, which of course pertains to the freedom of
religion.

There's alot at issue here as regards the future of this estate which had nothing to do with why I started this thread.
My experience with a great forum in Philly Speaks is that there will be no input here by the Lower Merion Conservancy
akin to no input by the Gtown Hist Soc in like threads. They appear to be out of touch to me.

[OldMaestro]

I don't care about their beliefs or have any clue what LMC may be up to. I am just fascinated with stories like this and exploring, touring these types of places. Like that springhouse you mentioned for instance.

[Preesi]

I didn't even know this place and it's weird story existed until someone posted this here a few weeks ago-

Philly Bricks: Divine Remains

I would like to tour this place.

There is also a cult near Phoenixville...

And lets not forget the Rosicrucians in Quakertown
and the Swedenborgens in BrynAthyn

[OldMaestro]

There is also a cult near Phoenixville...

And lets not forget the Rosicrucians in Quakertown
and the Swedenborgens in BrynAthyn

In Phoenixville? Really...
I've been meaning to check out the Rosicrucian pyramid in Nockamixon on Haycock mtn.
Swedenborgens in BrynAhtyn? I thought thery were called Pitcarins or something like that.

[Preesi]

In Phoenixville? Really...
I've been meaning to check out the Rosicrucian pyramid in Nockamixon on Haycock mtn.
Swedenborgens in BrynAhtyn? I thought thery were called Pitcarins or something like that.

Bryn Athyn is also the site of the General Church affiliated Academy of the New Church, which is the parent organization of the Academy of the New Church Secondary Schools, Bryn Athyn College, a divinity school, and the Swedenborg Library (which was named in honor of Emanuel Swedenborg.

A friend of mine said that when He made a service call to this place
http://nationalchristianconferencecenter.org/
There was like tons of food storage in the basement and survival equipment.
He said it was like Waco down there. So somethings going on.

[Braveheart]

I don't care about their beliefs or have any clue what LMC may be up to. I am just fascinated with stories like this and exploring, touring these types of places. Like that springhouse you mentioned for instance.

There's alot to explore on that particular hill even down to the river, much of it not known to very many people. When the
Expy was cut through in the early 50s the early roads were cut off but still exist though grown over. The ancient ferry
landing to Spring Mill is there but kind of tricky to get to on foot. Let me know if you'd like to check out anything and I'd
be happy to show you, or could post an old map.

[Outlaw Star]

Bryn Athyn is also the site of the General Church affiliated Academy of the New Church, which is the parent organization of the Academy of the New Church Secondary Schools, Bryn Athyn College, a divinity school, and the Swedenborg Library (which was named in honor of Emanuel Swedenborg.

A friend of mine said that when He made a service call to this place
National Christian Conference Center
There was like tons of food storage in the basement and survival equipment.
He said it was like Waco down there. So somethings going on.

Second this. And it is the Pitcairns, for the record,

I used to live down the street from Bryn Athyn, and walked around their property a couple of times. In some ways they're beautiful lands. But you definitely get a very unsettling feeling, especially if you linger around too long. The grounds are definitely too quiet for such a wooded area, and the last time I was there was a noticeable number of small dead animals laying about.

That alone convined me not to trifle with the place.

[lbphilly]

Second this. And it is the Pitcairns, for the record,

I used to live down the street from Bryn Athyn, and walked around their property a couple of times. In some ways they're beautiful lands. But you definitely get a very unsettling feeling, especially if you linger around too long. The grounds are definitely too quiet for such a wooded area, and the last time I was there was a noticeable number of small dead animals laying about.

That alone convined me not to trifle with the place.

I've toured the Glencairn Museum, which is beautiful and (I believe) open to the public, as is the cathedral. Both are remarkable monuments to the Pitcairns' desire to recreate the building methods of the Middle Ages. The museum has a real treasure trove of medieval objects -- statues, stained glass, manuscripts.

Glencairn Museum - Articles - Pitcairn home a treasure trove of*art

[markedixon]

For what it's worth, the Alan Wood mansion was designed by architect William Lightfoot Price. Price later repented of building mansions for the super-rich and founded Rose Valley, an arts-and-crafts community in Delaware County. Rose Valley even includes a prototype of what Price called the "house of the Democrat," whose rationale is a lot like the "not too big" houses proposed more recently by Susan Susanka. “My definition of democracy is a state wherein there is no special privilege,” wrote William Lightfoot Price. “And the House of the Democrat? It must need no special privilege for its gaining, and it must not oppress by its possession.”

I wrote a column about Price > House of the Democrat - Main Line Today - February 2011 - Philadelphia, PA

[Bob_Head]

there's money in god

No, but his follwers are full of it!