Erdenheim Farm is a 450-acre (1.82 km²) working farm in Springfield and Whitemarsh Townships,

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County, colloquially referred to as Montco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,553, making it the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania after Philadel ...

, United States. Located just outside the Chestnut Hill section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, it is bordered by the Morris Arboretum & Gardens to the east, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club to the south, Carson Valley School to the north, and Corson's Quarry to the west. The

Wissahickon Creek Wissahickon Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania. Wissahickon Creek rises in Montgomery County, runs approximately passing through and dividing Northwest Philadelphia before emp ...

flows through the farm and Stenton Avenue crosses it. All but 23 acres of the land is now protected from development by

conservation easements In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified land conservation organization called a "land trust", or a governmental (muni ...

Early history

In 1765, Johannes Georg "George" Hocker (1733–1820), a German immigrant, paid £1,600 to buy 200 acres in Springfield Township west of the Wissahickon Creek. He named his farm "Erdenheim", to mean "earthly home".

Welch

Aristides Welch purchased the Pearl from Atherton Blight, a Philadelphia attorney, and created Erdenheim Stock Farm in 1862, on about 150 acres east of the Wissahickon Creek. He bred some of the finest Thoroughbred racehorses in the United States. In 1872, he purchased the British stud '' Leamington'', who sired the champions ''

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

'', ''Harold'', and ''Saunterer'' at Erdenheim. Welch expanded his land holdings to 280 acres, including the old Hocker farmhouse. By 1881, his stables held more than a hundred horses. The road to Norristown (now Flourtown Road) forded the Wissahickon Creek at Erdenheim Farm. The circa-1866 construction of a bridge at Lancasterville Road (now Stenton Avenue) led to the closing of the ford, and the diversion of Flourtown Road northward through the Lukens Farm.

Kittson

Welch sold the stock farm and its Thoroughbreds to Norman Kittson (1814–1888) for $100,000 in 1882. The property included a 1-mile racetrack, a 1/2-mile track, and a covered 1/8-mile track. To this, Kittson added the Lukens Farm, bringing his land holdings to about 400 acres. Following Kittson's death in 1888, his estate auctioned off the Thoroughbreds.

Carson

Kittson's son Louis sold the stock farm and the Lukens Farm to Robert N. Carson (1844–1907) in 1896. He had made his fortune in Philadelphia streetcar lines, first horse-drawn, then electrified. He altered the old Hocker farmhouse into a "rustic" summer house. In his will, Carson bequeathed 100 acres of the stock farm and a $5 million endowment to found Carson College for Orphan Girls (now Carson Valley School), modeled on Philadelphia's Girard College for Orphan Boys.

Widener

George D. Widener Jr. George Dunton Widener Jr. (March 11, 1889 – December 8, 1971) was an American thoroughbred racing owner and horse breeding, breeder. He raised 102 Stakes race, stakes winners, won the Travers Stakes a record-tying five times, and was the first p ...

(1889–1971), a grandson and heir of Peter A. B. Widener, lost his father and brother on the

RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...

in 1912. That same year, he purchased Erdenheim Farm (minus the 100 acres that had gone to the school) from the estate of Carson's widow. Widener had architect

Horace Trumbauer Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – September 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of t ...

alter and expand Carson's "rustic" house into a 60-room

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

mansion, "Erdenheim" (1916–17), and design a number of matching barns and outbuildings. He became a major figure in Thoroughbred horseracing, and served as president of the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

. His champions included '' Jamestown'', winner of the 1930

Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

; '' Eight Thirty'', winner of the 1940

Massachusetts Handicap The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", was a Flat racing, flat thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was an Graded stakes r ...

; and ''

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

'', winner of the 1962

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

. He kept his Thoroughbreds at Erdenheim Farm and Old Kenney Farm (now Green Gates Farm) in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. Jack Joyner was Widener's trainer, between 1917–1932, and lived at Erdenheim Farm until his death in 1943. Bert Mulholland began working for Widener in 1923 and was his trainer between 1933–1967. Widener wed Jessie Sloane Dodge (1883–1968) in 1917. They were married for more than fifty years, but had no children. Upon his death in 1971, he bequeathed Erdenheim Farm and his entire estate to his nephew, Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. (1923–2006).

Briar Hill

Widener's cousin, William McIntire Elkins (1882–1947), purchased an adjacent 95-acre tract and hired Trumbauer to design his mansion, "Briar Hill" (1929–30). Elkins's widow sold the mansion on 47 acres to Dr. Stephen J. Deichelmann in 1948, who converted it into Eugenia Hospital, a psychiatric facility. The land along Flourtown Road, she sold to Widener.

Dixon

Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. raised thoroughbred horses, Aberdeen Angus cattle, and Border Cheviot sheep. His horses also competed in

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

and

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

. He kept the farm largely intact for thirty years. The farm is divided into five tracts: *Angus Tract – 98 acres, west side of Thomas Road and south side of Flourtown Road. *Sheep Tract – 109 acres, north side of Flourtown Road, west side of Flourtown Road, and south side of Stenton Avenue. *Wissahickon Tract – 113 acres, east side of Thomas Road, south side of Flourtown Road, west side of Stenton Avenue to Morris Arboretum. *Main House Tract – 23 acres, east side of Thomas Road to Wissahickon Creek corridor. *Equestrian Tract – 103 acres, south side of West Mill Road, east side of Stenton Avenue, and north side of Wissahickon Avenue (continuation of Northwestern Avenue). The Hill at Whitemarsh, established in the early 2000s as a retirement community, bought Eugenia Hospital, intending to demolish it and built a 55+ age-group cluster-housing and luxury apartments. In 2001, Dixon sold about 50 acres of the Angus Tract to the retirement community. In reaction to this sale, a non-profit organization, the Whitemarsh Foundation, was founded to preserve Erdenheim Farm. Since Dixon's death in 2006, his heirs have sold the land in a series of transactions. However, the work of organizations and government entities such as the Whitemarsh Foundation, Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Preservation Society, public and private foundation records illustrate, that such work—just as the Wideners and Dixons did themselves—along with donations from the McCausland family, do work. The farm has remained undeveloped since The Hill at Whitemarsh's construction. Although 2018–2021 are being executed for Hawk Ridge development in an area where the Agnus cattle used to graze and is owned by the Hill at Whitemarsh. However, given that the large majority of the farm is mostly untouched and preserved in perpetuity since the time of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, the continuation of what the farm is today will live on through philanthropy, donations, and to those who drive by. It is a lasting symbol of what

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

was and still is, today. Given its location on the border of Philadelphia, it may be considered the "

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

" of the region to which it is preserved for all to enjoy and exist in its likeness for decades to come. *2008–98-acre Angus Tract, sold by Dixon's heirs and The Hill at Whitemarsh to Whitemarsh Foundation for $13.5 million. *2009–91 acres of the Sheep Tract, sold by Dixon's heirs to Whitemarsh Foundation for $12.5 million. *2009–259 acres, sold to Peter and Bonnie McCausland."Erdenheim Farm gets new owners,"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', June 2, 2009. This includes all of the Wissahickon and Main House Tracts, and sections of the Sheep and Equestrian Tracts. *2009–14 acres of the Equestrian Tract, retained by Dixon's heirs.

References

*Eric W. Plaag, ''On the Waters of the Wissahickon: A History of Erdenheim Farm'', (University of South Carolina Press, 2012