Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-22
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
In Sheltered Vale Old Mil Creek Stlll
Goes Its Busy Way and Local
photographer Serves as
Modern Guide
By SARAH d. LOWRIE

btuutlul pSptCldlly piCtuINS
Of garden spaces and of creeks. If he lived
anywhere but In Philadelphia and was any
thing but Quaker he would have con =.
spicuous studio, expensive exhibitions and
would be, in fact, one Of the celebrities of
the town He is a celebrity elsewhere, but
In this town he is just casual citizen who
shifts his dark room so often that even his
clients do not know where to find him. a
studio he has never had so far as | know.
Now and then he reappears and has tempo
rrary little shop. | first began to realize the
beauty of the streams about Philadelphia
from his lovely pictures. His collection
should be bought UP before 1t is too late,
for already those creeks are disappearing
before the oncoming town.
l learned about the Mill Creek first from
him and though since then | have lived on
1t, ! have written this little account of his
work out Of gratitude for the introduction.
FNHE way I first reached the Mill Creek
L was across country from Bryn Mawr.
1t is as pretty n way as any to reach It,.
One can 60 on foot, part of the way across
farm lands or by rough lanes or by mac
adam roads. From the Bryn Mawr College
entrance drive one turns to the right be-
tween college buildings through a gateway
facing lane running beside wood.
The wood is a wonderful piece of forest.
and gives one an idea Of what the unbrokcn
forest must have been In those parts 200
seohc u6O. II Utluubs HON W uh Olu SuuhtI
ramily-Vaux.
Mr.. George vaux has In his house there
q very interesting collection Of minerals.
Like most Friends. he is fond of scientific
pursuits in his leisure hours.
sometimes think the stricter Friends.
who do not yet allow themselves music or
the play, make up for the lack of that side
of beauty by a keen pursuit of nature.
do not know how mineralogy became Mr..
Naux's pastimc. He was. | remember, one
IS NhA ~ IL,
regions along the present route of the
Canadian Pacific, near Lake Louise.
COING along the lane with the woods on
~ the right one comes to very old grave
yard and little church At the end of the
lane there Is road leading uphill and
downhtll One turns to the right and down
the hill: The wood is still on the right and
big dairy farm, with tremendous and
very typical Pennsylvania farm, is on the
left. The road is very rough and gradually
goes up a hill, always skirting the wood :
in fact, when one Is past that wood one has
gone around three sides Of it. Coming out
at the top of the lane and at the end Of the
wood there is road almost at right angles
One way goes back toward Bryn Mawr or
Haverford and the other, to the left, toward
the Mill Creek You take the left road and
go downhill.
On the right of this new road are the old
doned now some ten years for the ones some
miles away on the other side of the Penn
sylvania Railroad west of Ardmore.
One can cut across these upland meadows
on foot and reach the Mill Creek by going
In the general direction of the Schuylkill:
but in any case. by keeping to the road and
going downhill one very soon reaches the
creek at the bottom.
There is a lovely garden in and about a
quarry on the, left Of this road that be-
longed to the late Edward Sayre. It and
the old house 1t surrounds make one of the
most delightful little country seats about
Philadelphia to my thinking
Once you have crossed the Mill Creek at
the foot OF the hill. turn to the right along
its banks and follow it by road or by patti
until 1t reaches the river. All along there
are remains of old mills. some of them pre-
revolutionary. and about each mill there arc
the vestigcs of small villages. houses for the
mill hands and the foreman and the miller
and the gentleman owner. These houses
were very good of their kind and Soma of
them have always been lived in: others have
been renovated and few have gone to ruin
JUST where the Ardmore Station road
- crosses the creek is very old workman :
house with the date of 1900 and something
I've been told that that WAS the oldest house
in Montgomery County, but I cannot vouch
for the truth of that
There are three very interesting country
places from that corner down for a mile or
so. The first il an old house to the right
with big trees, and belongs to Mr.. Charles
Mcllvninc, the architect; and the place right
next to 1t with driveway close to its en- :
trance Is that of Mr.. Charles Ludington. one
Of the heads of the Curtis Publishing Com
pany. That place has an interesting garden
and swimming pool that has been made a
part OF the garden architecture.
Mr.. Ludington has also made yerv
uniUup and worth while po1lcptiop %
paintings. Any one interested in the Italian
primitives should study these much enrIier
and more finished pictures Of the same type
rTliE third place can only be seen from ono
L point on the road though the entrance
James Crosby Brown. the head of Brown
| Brothers. bankers. II has a beautiful music
| room and was the scene Of the Greek nIa y
| which was given in tho early summer by
Miss Matthison and her company
| Crossing the creek again and going
steadily downhill along its very shady banks banks
| YOU pass more and more mills. deserted and
| ruined or recently repaired, the rOad always
growing rOugher, until without warning Won
| come suddenly out on a green meadow with
pretty old houses and mills, all charmingIy
kept up and surrounded by vine and hownr
| rOvered walls and terraces. 1t Is as thouoL
| one had come upon the Petit Trianon itseIf
| there on the banks of the stream. and ~
| though the great trees were part of the park
Of Versailles.
! TNliF inn Of Marie Antoinettc. the mill
l. the dairy cottage, the miller's cottage orf
all there to the life. There are. | supposo
some dozen vine covered buildings in tht
little community, all built for some cvidcu,
purpose Of communal life And, indeed thr
mill and the storehousc, the granarics ant
the laborers' cottages and owners house nj
formerly belonged TO n man by the name a,
Chadwick, who In the enrly days before
steam had a prosperous business in thaI
| quiet valley. But the place was. for porhnn,
half century, ruin when it was restore,
by Or. SPmour De Witt Ludlum and uSe,
for his patients. 1t is known as the Glad
wyne Colony, the nearest Postofice bcin,
Gladwyne, up near Merton Square
THE hills forming the cuplike valley mr.
J. part forest. part orchard and on ardo,
slopes. Two smaller creeks enter the Wii
Creek at this point. DR.. Ludmm's labora
tory and %-rny rooms are in tho buildin,
that was formerly a great stone barn on th
edge of the road as one leaves the coIon,
going down tho creek ''