This collection contains ephemera related to Alice Potter Fordney, antiques dealer and rugmaker. Items in the collection include business correspondence with Armstrong, F. Schumacher & Co., and the Montclair art museum; personal correspondence with friends and family; hooked rug patterns; and antiques sale flyers from the early 20th century. Also included in the collection are newspaper clippings, including the obituary of Fordney's sister Ellen Franklin; reference material for rug making and interior design (informational sheets, books and patterns); several items related to the Yeates School, which Fordney's brother William Bush Fordney attended; several photographs of unidentified persons; and a statement related to the will of William J. Fordney, her uncle.
Admin/Biographical History
Alice Potter Fordney was born June 21, 1887 in Lancaster, the daughter of Ida Cox and Thomas Potter Fordney. A prominent antique dealer from the late 1920s to her retirement in 1965, Fordney also made and sold hooked rugs.
Fordney's family features prominently in Lancaster County history. Her maternal great-grandfather was John Michael, who owned the historic Grape Hotel from 1805-1839. Fordney's paternal great-grandfather William Jenkins built Wheatland in 1828 and later sold the property to President James Buchanan. Colonel William Bush Fordney, her paternal grandfather, was a prominent lawyer in Lancaster. He served as district attorney from 1839-1845 and negotiated for the loan that enabled Lancaster city to build the "water works" in the 1830s. Sarah Cox, her maternal grandmother, was a known philanthropist and for years helped to manage the Home for Friendless Children in Lancaster. Her sister, Ellen Fordney Franklin, was a "pioneer" in the industry of women's knit suits, opening her first shop in 1929 in Philadelphia.
Fordney never married. She kept in contact with her nieces and nephews, as evidenced by letters in the collection. According to notes provided by Wendell Zercher, Sarah Ellmaker McIlvaine Muench, her niece and the donor of the collection, recalled her as "warm and artistic," and "a character." She died April 17, 1973, at the age of 85.
Works Cited:
"Mrs. Franklin, pioneer of women's knit suits, dies." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 10 May 1963, p. 2.
"Accident Fatal to Mrs. Sarah A. Cox." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], no date, page unknown.
"Miss Fordney, Antique Dealer, 85, Succumbs." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 18 April 1973, p. 2.
"One of Lancaster's Most Prominent and Venerable Citizens Passes Away." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 29 July 1889, p. 1.
3 boxes, 37 folders, 333 items, 1,015 pages to scan, 4.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
HC0001
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Sarah McIlvaine Muench Family Papers, MS 44 at Archives and Special Collections, Shadek-Fackenthal Library, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA.
Related Item Notes
See photograph collection.
See curatorial collection for examples of rugs.
Fordney Family Diaries (MG0539)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Archive of Alice P. Fordney (HC0001), Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
The kraft paper patterns in Folders 33-37 are restricted. Please make an appointment with the Director of Archival Services to view these items.
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.
Accession Number
G.04.23.52
Classification
HC0001
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
From the Heritage Center of Lancaster County collection, G04.23.52.
Processed and finding aid prepared by MJ, June 2018.
This collection consists of calendars containing photographs, drawings, and prints from Lancaster County and the surrounding region. Some depict local culture, architecture, historic sites, events, or have Pennsylvania Dutch sayings. There are also backs of calendars containing information about Lancaster.
3 boxes, 14 folders, 3 oversized folders, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0070
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions noted at the item level. Restricted items may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
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.
This collection contains a guest registery book along with other mementos that was created "to take due notice of visitors and other friends, and special occasions such as the Charlotte Street Soup," an annual block gathering hosted by John and Sally Jarvis from 1972-2004.
This collection contains ephemera of the Hamilton Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Admin/Biographical History
The Hamilton Club was founded in 1889 as a place for prominent citizens of the city to gather and named in honor of James Hamilton (1740-1783), a prominent lawyer and politician in colonial Pennsylvania, as well as planner of the City of Lancaster.
Manufacturers' Association of Lancaster Collection
Description
The Manufacturers' Association of Lancaster Collection contains legal documents concerning property and lease agreements for 26-28 N. Queen Street and the Woolworth Building. The material also includes a membership directory, annual reports, conference materials, and correspondence for the Manufacturers' Association of Lancaster.
Of primary interest are premium list books from the Lancaster Fair. The books contain entry categories and prizes offered for winners, general rules and regulations, many advertisements, and photographs of the fairgrounds and acts performing at some of the fairs. There are also Fair Association stock certificates and pamphlets, exhibit entry blanks, promotional fliers, and premium lists from other fairs.
Lancaster County Agricultural Fairs, 1909-1914 scrapbook contains a variety of information pertaining to the Lancaster County Agricultural Fair. There are copies of letters that I. C. Arnold typed and sent out to notify the public about the annual fair, including letters to teachers and businesses. Photographs are scattered within the book. The book is also filled with admission tickets, stand-holder tickets, and exhibitor tickets. There are several pages that show the layout of the fairgrounds and where different exhibits and rides were located. An item of interest is a facsimile of a confederate fifty-dollar bill.
Admin/Biographical History
The Lancaster County Agricultural Fair was held annually starting in 1888 and was sponsored by the Lancaster County Agricultural Fair Association. The fair lasted for one week and was open to the public for four days. For the first ten years the fair was held at McGrann's Park. In 1909, Lancaster County Agricultural Fair moved to the newly constructed Lancaster Fair Grounds. The new fair complex consisted of fifty-five acres and contained 5,500 bleacher seats, cattle sheds for over 400 exhibits, 225 stables for racing and show horses, a poultry exhibition building for 3,000 exhibits, and two exhibit buildings for the horticulture, agriculture and fancy work exhibits. The animals and exhibits were on display during the fair and there were rides, food stands and other amusements available for the public.
Fair entries were judged in one of eight fair departments: Cattle; Sheep and Swine; Horses, Ponies and Mules; Poultry, Pigeons and Pet Stock; Farm and Dairy Machinery, Implements, Carriages and Vehicles; Agriculture and Horticulture; Home and Dairy; and Ladies' Fancy Work. The Cattle Department had three different classes of dairy breeds, beef breeds and overall. The Sheep and Swine Department was split in two classes between the sheep and the swine and each class held many divisions for breed classifications. The Department of Horses, Ponies and Mules was split between show animals and work animals used for pulling carts and machinery. Poultry, Pigeons and Pet Stock were judged as one category winning gold, silver, bronze and runner up medals. Items used for farming and dairy divided the fifth department and then carriages and vehicles shared their own category.
The Department of Agriculture and Horticulture was split into many different categories including grains, seed and flour; wheat; vegetables; potatoes; tobacco; apples; pear, plums and quinces; peaches; grapes; fall strawberries; nuts; wines, cider, etc.; flowers; floral designs; and the boy's corn growing contest. The categories of the Home and Dairy Department are bread and butter; cakes and pies; preserves and pickles; confections; and soaps and hams. The final department, Ladies' Fancy Work, included craft work such as knitting, crochet work, infant's clothing, lace and tatting work, Irish crochet, embroidery, cross stitch, silk embroidery, outline embroidery, punch work, drawn work, stencil work, beadwork, raffia work and the juvenile department. The annual Lancaster County Agricultural Fair's last year was in 1933.
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-146
Other Number
MG-146
Classification
MG0146
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Collection was processed and finding aid prepared in 1998; the scrapbook was cataloged by CB, 2007-2008. Added to database 5 August 2021.
Lancaster County Agricultural Fairs scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2007-2008. ME60112.
The Advertising and Promotional Collection contains materials for a wide variety of businesses and organizations in Lancaster County, including manufacturers, department and clothing stores, entertainment venues, grocery stores, restaurants, service providers, and social clubs. Of special interest is the use of both English and German in a brochure from the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., as well as in the soap-making directions from the Pennsylvania Salt Co. There are also a 1921 program from Lancaster's Colonial Theatre and boxing programs that list Lancaster native, Leo Houck.
The Flood Disaster of 1972 Collection contains material related to the impact and recovery from flood damage in Lancaster County caused by Hurricane Agnes in June 1972. Items in this collection include a photographic publication, a report from the Lancaster Redevelopment Authority, a record of disbursements, and a "Flood Disaster Project Area" map of Marietta, Pennsylvania.
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. Persons wishing to publish any material from this collection must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-189
Other Number
MG-189
Classification
MG0189
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This collection was cataloged prior to 1997. Added to database 27 August 2021.
The Medical, Dental and Veterinary Collection contains records of doctors and a midwife who practiced in Lancaster County. Susanna Rohrer Müller's account book is a record of her work as a midwife from 1791 to 1815. The other volumes in this collection contain medical school notes, records of births, ephemera, and medicinal formulas.
This collection contains records of the Wheatland Diner, including correspondence, advertising, menu, recipe cards, blueprints and documents for the sale of the property. Newspaper articles report the plan for and delivery of the diner ,fires, 1956 fatal accident, problems with teenage customers and the sale of the property.