Glen Foerd

Our Artist in Residence, Yannick Lowery, visited our Teen Arts cohort this week to talk about collage as a tool for speculative archiving! Students got to work reinterpreting Glen Foerd’s history and reimagining its future.

The best summer views ☀️

Meet our River Ambassadors and hear their unique perspectives from exploring the grounds.⁠
Hello! My name is Lucy Pazdunkiewicz, and I am going into my junior year at Nazareth Academy High School. What drew me into joining this program was many things, spanning from nature to history. I live in the area, so learning more about my local environment and watershed was definitely something important to me. Additionally, this area is rich in both history and nature. With my love of History and the Latin language, I will be able to connect Glen Foerd’s features with them. ⁠
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While exploring the grounds, I think of the people of the past who impacted the area. This land, which was the territory of the Indigenous Lenni-Lenapi tribe, was known as “Lenapehoking.” Not unlike us today during Open Boating with Kayaks and Canoes, the Lenapi used the waterways as a natural highway with dugout canoes. Glen Foerd has the Poquessing Creek running alongside it. This Creek’s name means “land of the mice” in the Unami Dialect of the Lenape language. I hope it lives up to its name; during my time here, I expect to find some mice and rodents!⁠
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Another thing that stands out at the property is the Mansion. In 1850, Charles Macalester bought 84 acres across the waterfront. He named the area Torresdale, and developed the mansion, originally called the Glengarry estate. In 1895, Robert Foerder purchased the estate and named it Glen Foerd, combining his name and the original Glengarry. He was wealthy, and used his wealth to then add an art gallery and more features to the house. Many other owners added their own touch to the mansion, including more art. ⁠
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Some art I found while exploring the mansion features the landscape. They must have commissioned local artist(s) to capture the scenery with watercolors, a medium that I have noticed many of my fellow ambassadors enjoy using! ⁠
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I find it beautiful that this blend of nature, history, and even art can all tie in to Glen Foerd. It’s wonderful that people from all periods can connect with this piece of land, for all similar yet distinct reasons. I am excited to see what else I learn here, no matter what subject!