Chair's green paint was striped in 1976. Unknown if paint was original.
Object ID
W.1974.028.001
Notes
Original accession number W.35.28, would lead one to believe the James Buchanan Foundation obtained the chair in 1935; however, teh file holds letters written by the donor, Mr. Russel, that are dated 1974. The Accession Record is, therefore, inaccurate.
Research required to authenticate object connection with Elizabeth Speer Buchanan. The donor's 14 May 1974 letter states that the chair "came from the home of James Buchanan. When his Mother died at Cove Gap, PA." It should be noted that primary sources indicate that Elizabeth Speer Buchanan died on 14 May 1833 at 9:00 AM at the home of her daughter in Greensburg, PA.
Sheraton/Empire Tabernacle style mirror. Gilt mirror with a flat molded cornice with projecting breaks at the corners and fourteen pendent sphere. Double pilasters have decorative captials, beaded reeds and a rope motif terminating with urn-shaped bases. Frieze has foliate carvings.
Bottom mirror's silvering is delaminating from exposure to moisture; some chipping on the gilt frame.
Object ID
W.1935.042.001
Notes
Mr. Robert K. Cassatt's (donor) aunt was Miss Annie Buchanan. Annie was Robert's mother's sister and niece to James Buchanan. This mirror formerly hung at Wheatland.
Rectangular tray. White porcelain with gold trim, raised pink tray with support openings for a white ink well and a white pounce sander. Scalloped edges form handles on both ends of the raised tray and continues along the oblong tray that held pens. Scalloped edges feature gilded edges on white background bordered by a wide cobalt blue band gilt floral decor. The center of the pen tray is white with a pink, blue and white flower motif.
Provenance
James Buchanan
To Rev. Edward Y. Buchanan (brother)
To Lois Buchanan Cassatt (daughter/JB niece)
To Edward Buchanan Cassatt (son/JB great nephew)
To Lois Buchanan Cassatt Thayer (daughter/JB great, great niece)
Lignum vitas wood caster with round, bowl-like top, pierced for shaking out pounce. Base is ring-turned tapers smaller to broad top, flat bottom. Small, shallow dotted pattern in two bands near bottom. Lip at top has thin groove. Top screws onto base that would be filled with pounce, which is a fine powder made from powdered cuttlefish bone. Pounce was used both to dry ink and to sprinkle on a rough writing surface to make it smooth enough for writing.
Esther 'Hetty' Parker, James Buchanan's housekeeper, chose this among several other household items that Buchanan noted she was to be allowed to choose after his death. Miss Hetty gave this to the daughter of her neighbor. Miss Steckman donated this to the Wheatland collection in 1938.
Renunciations are papers filed in the Orphans' Court by executors of an estate who do not wish to administer that estate. They show the name of the decedent, the decedent's place of residence, the name of the person renouncing administration, the name of the replacement administrator to be appointed, and date. The relationship between the decedent, the executor, and the administrator is usually shown. Arranged chronologically and then alphabetically within each year.
System of Arrangement
Arranged chronologically and then alphabetically within each year.
The Watt & Shand Collection contains materials related to the Watt & Shand Department Store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Series 1 includes employee handbooks, job description, beauty salon price list, bridal registry information, a history of the store, a Christmas catalog, a Historic Preservation Trust calendar, and children's books.
Series 2 is a record of the property at the downtown location and at Park City Mall beginning in 1880 with deeds, legal agreements, a building inspector's permit, and insurance policies.
Admin/Biographical History
On 22 February 1878, Peter Watt, James Shand and Gilbert Thompson advertised the opening of a new store, The New York Store, featuring new lines of foreign and domestic dry goods as well as fancy goods and notions. The New York Store opened on 9 March 1878 and was an immediate success focusing on customer service. The owners had an unwritten policy stating that they remained open until the last customer left. During that first year, partner Gilbert Thompson died. Watt and Shand purchased a building located at 8-10 East King Street and changed their name from The New York Store to Watt, Shand and Company. Then during 1885, the store name was shortened to Watt & Shand even though the business was expanding to acquire 6 East King Street. The Ladies' Ready-To-Wear Department was added in 1889 which included coats, suits, dresses, and underwear. The owners proceeded to expand the business over several decades and procured Appel & Weber jewelry store and Hager's Department Store during the 1950s and 1960s. The branch store opened in 1970 at Park City Mall. The Bon-Ton Stores purchased Watt & Shand in 1992 and the store officially closed in March of 1995
Preferred citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folder 2 contains restricted items. With the exception of Folder 2, the items in this collection may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-237
Classification
MG0237
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Scrapbook cataloged by CB, 2008. Series 2, Folder 1-48 cataloged by ML, Summer 2014. Added to database 13 January 2022.
The Watt & Shand Department Store scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. ME60112.
The Daniel Reiber Collection contains the personal papers of Martin Bickham, who married Mme. Emilie Raymonde Adeline Eugenie Rivalz de St. Antoine in 1805. Many of the documents and letters are in French, some have been translated into English. There is genealogy tracing lines of the McCamant, Jenkins, McCaa, and Andes families from 1722-1942. Obituaries, correspondence with the McCaa family, and deeds for the Caernarvon Cemetery are among other items in the collection.
See collections related to Martin Bickham at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
See collections related to Martin Bickham and Stephen Girard at Girard College.
Related Item Notes
McCaa Collection (MG0281)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Daniel Reiber Collection (MG0210), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-210
Classification
MG0210
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by CF, Summer 2011. Added to database 20 February 2022.
