Finding A House

So many of the original committee decisions for the establishment of the longest running house tour in the United States, Chester County Day, still remain and are still observed by today’s committee.  One of those that I find intriguing is the “House Committee”.  Originally it was headed up by Mr. and Mrs. Francis Brinton. The Brinton’s were one of the area’s most knowledgeable couple on 18th Century homes and structures and of course the collections of objects contained within each of these domains.  After all, due to the Brinton’s, we can say that they were one of the major voices in the archive’s collections of our Chester Country History Center formerly known as the Chester County Historical Society.  Serving along with the Brinton’s was Dr. Henry Pleasants who was a well known physician, author, and historian in the West Chester area.  The President of the Historical Society, J. Carroll Hayes, served with them and they added David Stockwell who helped as an advisor and consultant to the committee.  Mr. Stockwell owned and operated one of our area’s most elite antiques shop at that time so his ability to help with interesting interiors was priceless to the group.  His antiques shop was located on South High Street in the borough and served as the Official Information Center where tickets for the tour were sold in 1937 for $1.00 and that included tea from 3 to 5!  That first tour of 1937 was comprised of twenty two homes filled with the character of the 18th and early 19th Century and furnished with the same age of furnishings.

The group of four experts established some basic guidelines for the selection of the original 22 houses on the tour in 1937 and that is one of the established guides that has existed throughout the eighty plus years of successful tours.  The first consideration for getting asked to be on the tour was that your residence was to be an early structure furnished with antiques.  At that time one was asked to be on the tour, and it would have been considered inappropriate to ask or suggest that your home be included in the tour route!  The second check was that the home be historic either by use or association and thirdly that the home could be a newer structure but with significant architectural features or interior collections.  Upon entering a home on the tour, one was asked to sign a “guest book” to keep a record of the comings and goings of the West Chester people on the tour.  Rooms furnished with antiques, oriental carpets, art works, and polished silver and brass enticed each tour goes to go from room to room and be enthralled with the splendor of the period.  Flower arrangements were gathered from the home’s gardens or by staff at one of the local florists shops.  It was a sight to behold in those early days of the tour and it still is today.

Today’s tour is no different as far as the selection committee for inclusion is concerned, but many other factors are put into place before a property can be recommended to be included in the route. In the early years of the tour it was recorded that many of the tour goers were driven by limousine from house to house.  The riders were also clad in their best suits and ties and dresses worthy of a dinner party.  Now it must be determined if the route inside of the house safe for guests to move through safely and accident free.  Today, it is usually only the ground level floor that is open to avoid stairways that can be the cause of falls and congestion of going up and down at the same time.  After it appears that a home could be a candidate for the tour, the next hurdle is parking for many cars.  Today the Parking Committee has to consider a fields worth, or a wide streets worth, of parking for possibly 30 to 50 cars at a time.  After parking is thought through, it must be determined if the area around the home and parking is traffic smart.  In some cases recently, a grand house had no parking or was a traffic hazard and a shuttle bus was arranged to transport guests safely from a remote parking area to the open house.  The location of the home in relation to other stops on the tour is also a factor as if a home is miles away from its nearest next stop on the route, some drivers might tend to skip it to save time driving miles out of the way. 

It is still a factor to try to find the 18th and 19th Century house and outbuildings for the tour or a home that has architectural integrity for the Chester Couty region or a special collection of artifacts or antiques inside.  The interests of tour goes today hits all the marks that the House Selection Committee considers when a property is considered for the tour.

All the original factors and those of today have created a treasured Chester County Day promised to each guest each and every year. Today it gives one a glimpse into the past just as it had in the early days of the tour. And, the first Saturday in October has promised and delivered to every attendee a peek into the areas most treasured and enjoyed properties and homes that makes the Chester County Day Tour a winner!