Thunderbird Lodge (Rose Valley, Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
Thunderbird Lodge is a building of historical and architectural significance in the utopian community of Rose Valley, Pennsylvania
.
converted an existing circa-1790 stone barn into studios for the artists Charles H. and Alice Barber Stephens
. Appended to this, he designed a rambling fieldstone-and-stucco house, including a 3-story octagonal stair tower that joined the wings and served all five levels.
Price, a founder of Rose Valley, attempted to create a community of artists and artisans working side by side under the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement
. These included truth in the use of materials, traditional craftsmanship using simple forms, and often medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration.
Price described the house:
"The old barn standing near the road was converted into first and second floor studios, the old timber roof being rebuilt for the upper studio, and large windows and fireplaces being built into the old walls. The house rambles off from the fireplace and off the studios and is connected to them by an octagonal stair hall. It is built in part of fieldstone so like that in the old barn that it is almost impossible to tell old work from new. The upper part is of warm gray plaster, and the roof of red tile. All of the detail is as simple and direct as possible, and the interior is finished in cypress stained to soft browns and grays and guilty of no finish other than wax or oil."
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, and a painter of Native American subjects. He had lived among the Blackfeet
, and amassed an extensive collection of artifacts. The fireplace that Price designed for his studio is in the silhouette
of a Thunderbird
, a symbol that also appears on the building's exterior in Henry Mercer
’s Moravian
tiles. Alice Barber Stephens
(1858-1932) was a highly-successful illustrator for magazines and children's books. They raised their son, D. Owen Stephens (1894-1937) in Rose Valley, and painted there until their deaths.
Thunderbird Lodge then became the home of a leading social activist couple, Allen Seymour and Mildred Scott Olmsted. He was a lawyer, a member of the Men's Commission for Women's Suffrage, and helped in the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union
. She worked with the American Birth Control League
and was the long time director of the U.S. section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
. Together they worked with the American Friends Service Committee
, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
, and many other liberal organizations. The house was used as a safe meeting place for other activists, including Jane Addams
, James Farmer
, George Washington Carver
, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
, that ran nearby. Charles Stephens designed the bas-relief on the marker, and Albert Laessle
created the beaver sculpture below the plaque.
Thunderbird Lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1989, and is a contributing property
in the Rose Valley Historic District, which was listed on the NRHP in 2010.
Rose Valley, Pennsylvania
Rose Valley is a small but historic borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its area is and the population was 944 at the 2000 census. It was settled by Quaker farmers in 1682, and later water mills along Ridley Creek drove manufacturing in the nineteenth century...
.
Architect
In 1904, architect Will PriceWill Price
William Lightfoot Price was an influential American architect, a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, and a founder of the utopian communities of Arden, Delaware and Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
converted an existing circa-1790 stone barn into studios for the artists Charles H. and Alice Barber Stephens
Alice Barber Stephens
Alice Barber Stephens was an American painter and engraver, best remembered for her illustrations.She was born on a farm in Salem, New Jersey, and attended local schools. Her Quaker family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at age 15 she became a student at the Philadelphia School of Design...
. Appended to this, he designed a rambling fieldstone-and-stucco house, including a 3-story octagonal stair tower that joined the wings and served all five levels.
Price, a founder of Rose Valley, attempted to create a community of artists and artisans working side by side under the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
. These included truth in the use of materials, traditional craftsmanship using simple forms, and often medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration.
Price described the house:
"The old barn standing near the road was converted into first and second floor studios, the old timber roof being rebuilt for the upper studio, and large windows and fireplaces being built into the old walls. The house rambles off from the fireplace and off the studios and is connected to them by an octagonal stair hall. It is built in part of fieldstone so like that in the old barn that it is almost impossible to tell old work from new. The upper part is of warm gray plaster, and the roof of red tile. All of the detail is as simple and direct as possible, and the interior is finished in cypress stained to soft browns and grays and guilty of no finish other than wax or oil."
Artists & activists
Charles H. Stephens (1855?-1931) was an instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and a painter of Native American subjects. He had lived among the Blackfeet
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
, and amassed an extensive collection of artifacts. The fireplace that Price designed for his studio is in the silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
of a Thunderbird
Thunderbird (mythology)
The Thunderbird is a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture. It is considered a "supernatural" bird of power and strength...
, a symbol that also appears on the building's exterior in Henry Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer was an American archeologist, artifact collector, tile-maker and designer of three distinctive poured concrete structures: Fonthill, his home, the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, and the Mercer Museum.-Early life and education:Henry Mercer was born in Doylestown,...
’s Moravian
Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works is a history museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It is maintained by the County of Bucks, Department of Parks and Recreation. The museum was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was later included in a National...
tiles. Alice Barber Stephens
Alice Barber Stephens
Alice Barber Stephens was an American painter and engraver, best remembered for her illustrations.She was born on a farm in Salem, New Jersey, and attended local schools. Her Quaker family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at age 15 she became a student at the Philadelphia School of Design...
(1858-1932) was a highly-successful illustrator for magazines and children's books. They raised their son, D. Owen Stephens (1894-1937) in Rose Valley, and painted there until their deaths.
Thunderbird Lodge then became the home of a leading social activist couple, Allen Seymour and Mildred Scott Olmsted. He was a lawyer, a member of the Men's Commission for Women's Suffrage, and helped in the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
. She worked with the American Birth Control League
American Birth Control League
The American Birth Control League was founded by Margaret Sanger in 1921 at the First American Birth Control Conference in New York City. The League was incorporated under the laws of New York State on April 5, 1922. Its headquarters were located at 104 Fifth Avenue, New York City from 1921–30 and...
and was the long time director of the U.S. section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was established in the United States in January 1915 as the Woman's Peace Party...
. Together they worked with the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
, and many other liberal organizations. The house was used as a safe meeting place for other activists, including Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
, James Farmer
James L. Farmer, Jr.
James Leonard Farmer, Jr. was a civil rights activist and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He was the initiator and organizer of the 1961 Freedom Ride, which eventually led to the desegregation of inter-state transportation in the United States.In 1942, Farmer co-founded the Committee...
, George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864....
, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
Great Minquas Path
At the edge of the property, along Rose Valley Road, is a 1926 Pennsylvania State historic marker, commemorating an important Native American trading route, the Great Minquas PathGreat Minquas Path
Great Minquas Path was a 17th-century trade route that ran through southeastern Pennsylvania from the Susquehanna River, near Conestoga, to the Schuylkill River, opposite Philadelphia. The 80-mile east-west trail was the primary route for fur trading with the Minquas people...
, that ran nearby. Charles Stephens designed the bas-relief on the marker, and Albert Laessle
Albert Laessle
Albert Laessle was an American sculptor and educator. He taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for more than twenty years.- Life, education and career :...
created the beaver sculpture below the plaque.
Thunderbird Lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1989, and is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the Rose Valley Historic District, which was listed on the NRHP in 2010.