Pennsylvania

July of 1863 saw heavy fighting and death in Pennsylvania's small town of Gettysburg, and the Devil's Den and Little Round Top areas of the Gettysburg National Military Park were attracting visitors 50 years later when my grandparents, Cora and Curvin, had their photograph taken (seated in the back row) along with friends by a professional photographer from York. The photo was taken in July, four months before their wedding.

The photograph was always a favorite family treasure for me, and I always intended to get a similar photograph from the same vantage point.

Edward Hand, born in Clydruff, Ireland, came to America via military service as a Surgeon’s Mate. After resigning in 1774, Hand moved to Lancaster. One year later Hand served in the Continental Army and moved up the ranks to the position of Adjutant General to George Washington.

Hand was also active in local politics both as a Burgess of Lancaster and a member of Pennsylvania’s General Assembly.

The farm along the Conestoga River was purchased by Hand and 1785, with an additional parcel added in 1792. Their Georgian-style home has four floors, each having four rooms and one center hallway.

The Chanticleer garden estate is easily one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. The Rosengarten family, part of the growing pharmaceutical industry in the Philadelphia area, built a summer home outside of Wayne (Pennsylvania) in an area known as the Main Line. The residence was completed in 1913 and expanded to a full-time residence in 1924. Two additional residences for their children were built later.

The Chanticleer Foundation now shares the property with the public, providing wonderful garden areas for all to enjoy.