Rash's Surname Index


Notes for Letitia Ellicott CARPENTER

Mrs. William Redwood Wright was born Letitia Ellicott Carpeneter on April 7,1861. She was the daughter of George Washington Carpenter and Mary Rodman Fisher. Letitia Ellicott Carpenter was a direct descendent of James Logan who left England in the late seventeenth century to settle in the colonies as William Penn's Chief Secretary and Counselor.

Letitia's fascination with nature began when she was a youngster,and carried through to her later years. Her childhood wonderment later elevated her to an expertise in the area of wildflowers. Mrs. W.R. Wright did place much emphasis on the conservation of wildflowers,but she started organizations and made personal efforts to improve the preservation and conservation of plant life. She was not only a speaker, but a doer. One such organization was the First Garden Club of Philadelphia(of which Mrs. Wright was a charter member). The most notable personal effort that Mrs. Wright made was her restoration of the "Stenton Garden." Mrs. Wright's ancestor, James Logan, was the original planter of the garden. It was initially planted with many flowers and shrubs that were indigenous only to England. What made her restoration notable was that she used the same plants that he did.

Mrs. Wright also had a variety of extracurricular involvements. In her early days she was an enthusiastic horsewoman and rode for the Hare and Hound Club (one of the first riding clubs in Pennsylvania). She was an active member of the World War I organization,The National League for Women's Service, for whom she volunteered her time to teach bee-keeping classes. Mrs. Wright also belonged to the Church of the Messiah at Gynwedd Valley. As a member of the church's auxiliary for the unemployed, she spent much time finding food, shelter, and eventually employment for the jobless.

After the death of her husband, Mrs. William Redwood Wright continued to live at "Waldheim." It was not until 1923 that she moved out of "Waldheim" and into "Boxwood Farm" in Ambler. In 1920, William Redwood Wright's brother Sidney became the trustee to the deed of trust(dated April 10,1920) to the "Little Wakefield" and "Waldheim" properties (which spanned 22 acres). In 1925 the approximately 22-acre property was sold to George A. Nahm for $350000. The contract was signed by Sidney L. Wright, Mrs. William Redwood Wright, and her children. Three years later (1928), "Waldheim" was destroyed. The rather abrupt occurrence of the Great Depression saved "Little Wakefield" from condemnation,but could not save "Waldheim." Nahm had intended on constructing a housing development and putting roads through the property. The propery (less one "Waldheim") was then purchased by the Sisters of St. Basil the Great in 1946. It had been untouched since the destruction of "Waldheim." The sisters maintained an orphanage and girl's school on the property until,on January 1989,they sold the property to LaSalle University.

Remnants of the foundation of the former "Waldhrim" mansion are still in existnce. One can still trek into the small patch of woods between the Neumann Halls Dormitory and the LaSalle University commuter parking lot,and take a gander at the ruins of the home of historically significant people. Just make sure that the LaSalle Security Force understands what you are doing before you examine the ruins (lest your interests be deemed legal rather than historical!).
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