Published: Synapse 2015, Vol 2
It is hard to believe the organizers of the first Chester County Day in 1936 - a tour of architecturally or historically significant local homes - suspended the tour the following year because they were unsure they could come up with different houses.
Luckily, these astute ladies from the Chester County Hospital Women's Auxiliary realized the plethora of notable architecture in the region and reconvened in 1938. Today, the event, which is the longest running house tour in the country, celebrates 75 years with more than 1,500 homeowners having opened their doors over the years to benefit Chester County Hospital.
Chester County Day has come a long way in 75 years (with a few years missed during World War II). The one-day event, always held the first Saturday in October (10 am to 5 pm on October 3), attracts about 2,500 tour goers, more than 500 volunteers and has raised almost $600,000 for the hospital since 2010 alone.
The first Day tour in 1936 was organized by Berenice Ball and Gladys Jackson Limberger and 22 homes in West Chester Borough were open. Tickets were $1 per person. The first tour was small enough -- several hundred people -- that Mrs. Limberger hosted an afternoon tea for participants at her home. Today, tea for all the guests may not be feasible, but there are many options to enjoy the tour from VIP tickets at $100 per person (including the use of a BMW for the day while supplies last and a catered luncheon) to regular tour tickets at $40.
The 2015 Day focuses on the Borough of West Chester, and to commemorate the 75th anniversary, also features 22 homes, including Berenice Ball's house. Guests will enjoy buildings in all styles from Colonial to Greek revival to Victorian. Open the night before the tour is the Chester County Courthouse designed by Thomas U. Walter, architect of the iconic dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. There are lovely homes constructed with locally quarried serpentine stone, and twin homes in Craftsman and Victorian style in brick. Visit a home once owned by the uncle of John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles, and the oldest inhabited structure in the Borough, built in 1712 and renovated in the 1920s by noted regional architect R. Brognard Okie for author Joseph Hergesheimer.
When we enjoy another beautiful autumn Chester County Day this year, we are celebrating more than just 75 years of Chester County culture. We are celebrating the generous spirit of a community that donates time, talent and treasure to care for our sick and provide for the health of future generations. When it all began, Mrs. Ball and Mrs. Limberger could not have imagined that their humble fundraising efforts would have grown into a grand tradition and that their hospital on the hill that they loved so much would become a regional leader in health care.
Happy Anniversary Chester County Day! And congratulations and thank you to the Women's Auxiliary members for their perseverance and creative ideas that helped the Days to flourish over its 75 years.
Story by Gail O. Guterl
Photos by Matt Freeman and and Jeff Dippel
Learn more about Chester County Day.
