Written by Emma Leuschner for the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance. Painter's Folly under a blanket of snow. © 2025 by Ed Worteck. High atop a hill overlooking one of the oldest roads leading to Philadelphia stands the striking white Italianate mansion known as “Painter’s Folly.” The c. 1856-1857 building is a three-story manse complete with a towering cupola, sprawling piazzas, and distinctive green shutters. Inside, the rooms are quiet, the halls empty, but the air is heavy with history. Painter’s Folly embodies nearly 170 years of memories, conveying our nation's enduring spirit. Much like ripples in the Brandywine, these impressions flow into one another, representing the ongoing story of American identity. Old places withstand the test of time; they serve as memorials to our stories and lives. While they may not last forever, they act as physical reminders that life existed before us and will continue long after. Thompson Mayes, Chief Legal Officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, writes, “In a world that is constantly changing, old places provide people with a sense of being part of a continuum, which is necessary for them to be psychologically and emotionally healthy.” Well-preserved historic resources offer a community hope. They stand firm alongside gas stations, strip malls, and shiny new developments as community elders. Old places remind us of our connection to place and time. Painter’s Folly is both a continuum and a prism of Chadds Ford’s identity. Its lifespan is linked to the origins of our country, as well as to political leaders and great artistic masters. This is the story of an old place. For the first time in the building’s history, an organization rather than an individual owns it. Chadds Ford Township now owns Painter’s Folly, but its short line of owners and inhabitants includes a disowned Quaker, a prominent Pennsylvania suffragette and philanthropist, the father of the Brandywine School of Art, a laryngologist, the Mayor of Sea Isle City, the president of the Democratic Women’s League of Delaware County, and Andrew Wyeth’s confidants and models. This is the story of Painter’s Folly. PAINTER’S FOLLY ORIGINS: 1856-1870 Painter’s Folly was built circa 1856-1857 for Samuel H. Painter, a birthright Quaker farmer with a penchant for architectural flair. Before the big house was built, Samuel purchased land consisting of over 200 acres from his father, William Painter, on May 26, 1845. William Painter previously purchased “a messuage and plantation containing 231 acres and two perches” in 1828 from the Gideon Gilpin estate. The land was hallowed ground associated with the Battle of the Brandywine of the American Revolution. Samuel’s 1845 land purchase also included the Gideon Gilpin House. This early Quaker homestead housed the Marquis de Lafayette before the Battle of the Brandywine in September 1777 and is colloquially known as “Lafayette’s Headquarters." Samuel Painter was a successful, wealthy farmer by the time he built Painter’s Folly. In 1850, his farm was among the most valuable in Birmingham Township. Painter’s Folly was built as a three-story, stucco-over-stone T-shaped house with a “shallow hip roof, a rectangular rooftop belvedere, and a first-floor wrap-around porch” typical of Italianate style homes. The interior of Painter’s Folly reflected Italianate-style sentiments with its “high, molded plaster ceilings and carved woodwork.” As a Chadds Ford architectural eccentricity, Painter's Folly stood in stark contrast to the surrounding Quaker stone farmhouses. Painter’s Folly certainly did not fall in line with Quaker simplicity values, and curiously enough, Samuel Painter was disowned by the Quaker meeting on October 27th, 1848, nearly a decade before the home’s completion. The name “Painter’s Folly” itself suggests how the community perceived the house: as decorative, extravagant, and eccentric. The term “folly” derives from the French word “folie,” meaning “foolishness” or “madness.” Local craftsmen completed the unusual country mansion by 1857 for Samuel’s small family of three, but the Painters did not stay in the house for long. By his late 50s, Samuel retired from farming, and he and his wife, Mary Hoopes Painter, moved down the road to Concordville to live with his younger brother, Darwin Painter. Samuel posted sales ads in the local papers in 1868 advertising the property as 225 acres of suitable land for grazing or dairy farming. Samuel Painter sold Painter’s Folly to Joseph C. Turner on April 1, 1870. Samuel Painter passed away only six years after he sold Painter’s Folly and was laid to eternal rest in the Concord Friends Meeting graveyard in Concord Township. Samuel H. Painter (1810-1876) THE TURNERS: 1870-1903 Joseph C. Turner, an Episcopalian attorney residing in Philadelphia, managed a dairy operation known as Lafayette Farms and a grist mill on his land. Turner spent each summer from May to October at a nearby country estate known as Windtryst. Turner and his wife, Eliza L. Sproat Turner, were avid supporters of the arts and freedom of expression. While Joseph came to the countryside to find a quiet life as a farmer and retailer, his wife was never destined for simplicity. Eliza L. Sproat Turner was a published author, women’s club founder, and influential suffragette and abolitionist. Although the Turners maintained a townhome in Philadelphia and Eliza was involved in many of her city-based organizations, she saw a profound opportunity for underprivileged Philadelphia children to leave the city and experience country life. By 1875, Eliza asked her rural neighbors in Chester and Delaware Counties to help host impoverished city children for a week during the summer, giving them “a glimpse of nature and a breath of the pure air of heaven.” Eliza’s neighbors gladly welcomed the first twelve children, and soon enough, children were pouring in from the Baltimore Central Railroad at no cost to experience “sunshine, fresh air, and wholesome food” for a week. This led to the founding of the Children’s Country Week Association. The organization grew rapidly over the following decades, helping more than 2,000 children by the 1920s. This vital charity began with Mrs. Eliza L. Sproat Turner’s love of the country, rooted in her summer home in Chadds Ford. In addition to philanthropy, Eliza L. Sproat Turner helped found the Pennsylvania Woman’s Suffrage Association in 1869 and served as its Treasurer and Vice President. She established the New Century for Women newspaper and, in 1877, founded the New Century Club, which led to the formation of the New Century Guild for Working Women in 1882. The New Century Club was one of the first women’s clubs in the United States and was a hub for the promotion of “science, literature, and art.” It was supported and managed in part by the Drexel Institute beginning in 1892, which was also the employer of Painter’s Folly’s forthcoming resident, the artist Howard Pyle. It was a natural decision when Joseph and Eliza Turner leased Painter’s Folly to Samuel Painter’s nephew, Howard Pyle, beginning in the summer of 1898. Eliza L. Sproat Turner (1826-1903) HOWARD PYLE AND THE BRANDYWINE SCHOOL OF ART: 1898-1903 Howard Pyle was a renowned American painter, author, and teacher, and is often regarded as the father of American illustration. While a native of Wilmington, Delaware, Pyle was captivated by the bucolic landscapes of Chadds Ford and the land rich with America’s Revolutionary history. Howard Pyle was Samuel Painter's nephew and the original owner of Painter's Folly. Howard was the director of the School of Illustration at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, and selected Chadds Ford as the site of a competitive summer school for the Institute’s top students. Pyle oversaw the Drexel Institute’s Summer School of Illustration out of Painter’s Folly and surrounding buildings from 1898 to 1900, teaching 10 to 15 of Drexel’s best students. Drexel offered 10 scholarships to students studying illustration, drawing, and painting, covering tuition and board in Chadds Ford. Applicants were required to study with Pyle for two years before the summer course, and a jury of Drexel Institute faculty members judged their applications. Students of Pyle’s Chadds Ford summer art program, either through the Drexel Institute or Howard Pyle School of Art, included renowned artists Stanley Massey Arthurs, Clifford Ashley, Arthur Ernst Becher, Anna Whelan Betts, Bertha Corson Day Bates, Clyde Osmer DeLand, Angel De Cora, George Matthews Harding, Gordon McCouch, Emlen McConnell, Thornton Oakley, Henry Jarvis Peck, Frank Earle Schoonover, Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle, Harry Everett Townsend, Allan Tupper True, Sarah Stilwell Weber, and Newell Convers Wyeth. Howard Pyle and students outside school at Chadds Ford, 1902, Howard Pyle Manuscript Collection, Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, Delaware Art Museum Howard Pyle, his wife Anne Poole Pyle, and their many children set up their home base at Painter’s Folly beginning in May, while Pyle operated his summer program for ten weeks from June through September. Newell Convers Wyeth biographer David Michaelis describes Howard Pyle’s connection to Painter’s Folly and the building itself in his book: “Howard Pyle’s mother had been born in nearby Painter’s Crossroads; she was a Painter, one of the area’s oldest Quaker families. During the hot summer months in Chadds Ford, Howard and his family still occupied the old Painter place, which the townspeople called Painter’s Folly. It was a massive Italianate house with a cupola, deep piazzas, a broad lawn overlooking the village, and a tennis court.” Chadds Ford house, Anna W. Hoopes' photo album from Howard Pyle's Summer School of Illustration, 1898-1899, Frank E. Schoonover Manuscript Collection, Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, Delaware Art Museum The initial summer of 1898 proved to be a whirlwind of excitement for the citizens of Chadds Ford. Local newspapers reported on the influx of Philadelphia’s top art students to the country village and the strange goings-on of the artists at work. Papers were quick to note the connection between Pyle’s summer art school and the famed Revolutionary battle: “The famous author-artist is occupying the old Painter homestead, right in the heart of this picturesque country, savoring of historic deeds – a country of shady roads, rich, rolling meadows, old broken down stone walls, overgrown with briars and moss, pierced by jagged crevices, through which the sun shines and the rain drives, where probably some revolutionary bullets flew over a century ago, and where brave men fell in the cause of freedom.” Pyle had a particular affinity for history and a profound reverence for the American Revolution. Pyle was regarded in the press as having an eye for Colonial and Revolutionary “manners, costumes, house furnishings, [and] the accouterments of war.”His students followed suit. In 1899, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Pyle’s students were busy illustrating scenes and themes from the American Revolution. Students often dressed in historic and colonial garb while posing for one another on the lawn of Painter’s Folly, sparking the interest of Chadds Ford villagers. Many students, such as Robert L. Mason and Stanley M. Arthurs, created colonial illustrations and paintings while studying in Chadds Ford. Jill and Robert May, Howard Pyle biographers, noted the importance of time and place to Pyle’s art students in Chadds Ford: “The picturesque nature of the Chadds Ford vicinity and memories of the important historical events that had occurred there simultaneously fostered the students’ mastery of landscape art and appreciation of their country’s past history, an important element in many of their subsequent published illustrations.” Students in costume at Howard Pyle's summer school, 1899, Frank E. Schoonover Manuscript Collection, Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, Delaware Art Museum Painter’s Folly sat firm on the same land where Americans and British fought and died, with Howard Pyle looking out over the veranda 120 years later at the meadows and valley with inspiration twinkling in his eye. Howard Pyle’s female students boarded in the neighboring Gideon Gilpin House, where the Marquis de Lafayette reportedly plotted for his first battle of the American Revolution. Pyle’s male students slumbered in the nearby General Washington’s Headquarters. As Thompson Mayes masterfully points out in his book, “connection to these old places makes them aware that they are part of the continuum, connected to people of the past, the present, and hopefully, the future.” Pyle and his summer school students certainly felt the connection to these old places and the continuum. The artists created works that depicted moments in time long before their lifetimes and were meant to endure long after. Painter’s Folly was witness to it all. Howard Pyle painted one of his most profound revolutionary-inspired works while living at Painter’s Folly in the summer of 1902. The Nation Makers (1902) is an oil painting depicting American forces marching into battle at the Battle of the Brandywine. Pyle considered this work one of his most important in his catalog raisonné and later dispatched it on tour to cities such as New York, Chicago, and Detroit before Collier’s Weekly purchased the copyright to print it as the frontispiece of the June 1906 issue. The Nation Makers was a direct response to Pyle living on the very land where the pivotal battle took place. Howard Pyle completed many other works while conducting his summer courses, many of which were likely worked on while living at Painter’s Folly. Pyle’s illustration subjects ranged from pirates and colonial and revolutionary scenes to medieval, mystical, and allegorical subjects, fables and fairy tales, and frontier and Native American landscapes. Noteworthy illustrations from this period include Story of the Revolution (1898), Dead Men Tell No Tales (1899), Last Years of Washington’s Life (1899), Captain Scarfield (1900), The Flying Dutchman (1900), The Pilgrimage of Truth (1900), Colonies and Nation (1901), Don Quixote (1901), The First Self-Made American (1902), and Travels of the Soul (1902). These illustrations were published in books and periodicals, including Century, Collier’s, Everybody’s, Harper’s Magazine, Harper’s Weekly, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Scribner’s. In addition to housing the Pyle family, Painter’s Folly was the site of critical student discussions regarding artistic expression. N.C. Wyeth biographer David Michaelis notes, “In summer, the Pyles hosted lunches and suppers and games on the shaded verandas. It was a world of sons. Mr. Pyle liked nothing better than to gather his students on the front piazza for touch, ennobling talks about life and art.” Painter’s Folly was a gathering place where Pyle’s students could interact with their leader in an intimate, informal setting outside the studio. It allowed the students to engage with Pyle as both an artist and an individual in the comfort of his summer home, amongst his family. Painter house at Chadds Ford, Anna W. Hoopes' photo album from Howard Pyle's Summer School of Illustration, 1898-1899, Frank E. Schoonover Manuscript Collection, Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, Delaware Art Museum Pyle left the Drexel Institute in early 1900 to establish his art school, which became known as the Howard Pyle School of Art and later as the Brandywine School. Many students who had attended Pyle’s Drexel Institute classes followed him into his new endeavor. Arguably, Pyle’s most famous student, Newell Convers Wyeth, applied to the Howard Pyle School of Art in 1902 after boarding in Wilmington and attending Pyle’s Saturday night composition lectures in Chadds Ford. Newell Convers Wyeth and the Wyeth Family Newell Convers Wyeth, also known as N.C., was born and raised in Needham, Massachusetts. By October 1902, Wyeth, then 20, left home to study illustration and painting with Howard Pyle. Wyeth was a seamless addition to Pyle’s elite group of students and quickly became one of Pyle’s favorites. N.C. Wyeth biographer David Michaelis notes: “Wyeth fit naturally among the Pyles. The family was an idealized version of his own, and when he first approached Painter’s Folly that early November weekend, one of the high piazza windows framed a domestic scene that would serve as a model in years ahead.” Wyeth settled permanently along the Brandywine in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, in 1908, and developed into one of America’s best illustrators. His work was featured on the front page of magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and Scribner’s, in advertisements for Coca-Cola and Lucky Strike, and, famously, in illustrations for classic literature such as Treasure Island, Robin Hood, The Last of the Mohicans, and Robinson Crusoe. The Wyeth Family connection and legacy in Chadds Ford flourished under Newell Convers Wyeth, who deeply loved the Brandywine Valley. Newell and his wife, Carolyn Brenneman Bockius Wyeth, had five children: Henriette Wyeth Hurd, Carolyn Wyeth, Nathaniel C. Wyeth, Ann Wyeth McCoy, and Andrew Wyeth. Andrew emerged as one of the leading American painters of the mid- to late 20th century. Henriette and Carolyn also pursued careers in painting, while Ann combined her talents in both visual art and music, becoming a painter and composer. Their brother Nathaniel took a different path, becoming an engineer at DuPont, where he helped develop the plastic soda bottle. Nathaniel married Howard Pyle’s niece, Caroline Pyle. Henriette and Ann each married one of their father’s protégés—Peter Hurd and John W. McCoy, respectively. N.C. Wyeth’s legacy continued through his grandchildren, including artists Jamie Wyeth and Michael Hurd, as well as musician Howard Wyeth. The Wyeth family legacy is fixed in Chadds Ford and stems in part from Pyle’s famous summer art courses in the village. Howard Pyle continued living at Painter’s Folly through 1903 while teaching his summer classes. Pyle eventually grew tired of Chadds Ford and returned home to Wilmington in 1903, abandoning Painter’s Folly as a summer retreat. A public sale of Pyle’s discarded, unwanted belongings was held in June 1904. Joseph and Eliza Turner passed away in 1902 and 1903, respectively, and Dr. Arthur Horton Cleveland, Sr., bought the home from their estate. THE CLEVELANDS AND ATWATERS: 1903-1953 New life and a new chapter began for Painter’s Folly, now known as Lafayette’s Manor or Lafayette Hall. Dr. Arthur Horton Cleveland Sr., a recent widower, purchased three tracts of land in 1903, including Painter’s Folly and the surrounding buildings, including the present-day Kuerner Farm, which were still in use as the Lafayette Dairy Farm. Dr. Cleveland’s total land purchases amounted to nearly 500 acres. Dr. Cleveland was a ward of Joseph and Eliza Turner and lived with them in Chadds Ford in the late 1800s following the death of his parents. Dr. Cleveland was a laryngologist and served on staff at the Presbyterian Hospital, the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, and the Medico-Chirurgical College. Dr. Cleveland Sr. settled into his new life in Chadds Ford and later became president of the Birmingham Township Board of Supervisors. Alongside his father-in-law, Richard Mead Atwater, Dr. Cleveland continued to run the dairy business, which was one of only two dairies at the time that sold milk in glass bottles. Richard Mead Atwater, a native of Rhode Island and former mayor of Sea Isle City, N.J., was a glass manufacturer by trade and saw this new venture as a perfect addition. Under Cleveland-Atwater ownership, the Lafayette Dairy Farm often hired employees from the University of Pennsylvania. One of their most notable employees was Arthur Linville, who managed the farm’s orchard and later founded the nearby 350-acre Linvilla Orchards Farm, which remains operational today. The business grew to include a successful orchard program. By 1910, Lafayette Farms was selected by the State Economic Zoologist as a “Model Orchard” for State research purposes. Lafayette Farms hosted public orchard-care demonstrations and lectures, and it became well known for its peach crop. Painter’s Folly and the surrounding land were extensive, and the Cleveland family opened the property to Dr. Cleveland’s late wife, Ethel Wyn Atwater’s family. Ethel’s father, mother, and sister, along with hired help and farmhands, moved permanently to the new family homestead by 1906. Dr. Cleveland raised two children on the property: Arthur Cleveland, Jr., and Ethelwyn Atwater Cleveland. In 1908, Dr. Cleveland sold Painter’s Folly and 47 acres to his father-in-law, Richard Mead Atwater. Atwater and his wife stayed at Painter’s Folly, then known as Lafayette’s Hall, while Dr. Cleveland’s family moved into the nearby Gideon Gilpin House after living in the Red Barn Farm, now known as Kuerner’s Farm. Dr. Cleveland’s grandson, Arthur Cleveland III, became an essential part of the artistic legacy of Painter’s Folly, especially when Andrew Wyeth captured his likeness in the 1946 portrait, Arthur Cleveland. The senior Atwaters, like Samuel Painter, were avid Francophiles. Richard Mead Atwater and his wife, Abby Sophia Greene, resided in Paris for six years while Richard worked as a European agent for an American harvesting machine company. Back in Chadds Ford, the Atwaters hosted the French Ambassador to the United States, Jean Jules Jusserand, at Painter’s Folly in September 1915 on Brandywine Day. Dr. and Mrs. George Philip Morris, the president of the West Chester Normal School and the Chester County Historical Society, were also present for this momentous luncheon and gave a speech regarding the significance of the Battle of the Brandywine to the Ambassador and a large crowd on the hallowed grounds following the lunch. The Atwaters exchanged correspondence with Ambassador Jusserand over the years, who fondly recalled Painter’s Folly. The Atwaters’ grandson, Richard Atwater of Tarrytown, N.Y., received the French War Cross in 1917 for bravery during World War I for his service driving an ambulance when he was only sixteen years old. The teenager spent ample time traipsing through the grounds of Lafayette Hall and passing time with his grandparents before his meritorious military service. Richard Mead Atwater, like Howard Pyle, was fascinated with the Battle of the Brandywine. He was enthusiastic regarding his ownership of General Washington’s Headquarters, also known as the Benjamin Ring House, and Lafayette’s Headquarters, also known as the Gideon Gilpin House. Locals considered him an authority on troop movements during the Battle of the Brandywine. Atwater often spoke publicly to captivated audiences about the battle's history and significance, particularly on commemorative Brandywine Day each September. Richard Mead Atwater's wife was related to General Nathaniel Green, second in command under General George Washington, and expressed a “personal interest in all that pertains to the battle, the spirit of which carried the Americans through Valley Forge and eventually won the war.” In addition to owning Painter’s Folly, Richard Mead Atwater purchased the nearby Windtryst property in 1913, which was built and owned by previous Painter’s Folly owners Joseph C. and Eliza L. Sproat Turner. Windtryst was a serpentine stone mansion constructed c. 1868 by Joseph Turner and used as the Turner summer home. For years, Windtryst hosted lively social dances and gatherings for the young people of Chadds Ford and later operated as a boardinghouse. The artist Newell Convers Wyeth and his family rented a room in Windtryst before their house was completed in Chadds Ford. After Richard Mead Atwater poured his resources into restoring the property, Windtryst was tragically destroyed by fire on September 11th, 1914 – 137 years to the day from the Battle of the Brandywine. Newell Convers Wyeth depicted the ruins of Windtryst in his 1915 painting “And will you stay on – after last night?” Richard Mead Atwater also owned Turner’s Mill, where Howard Pyle’s students worked during the Chadds Ford summer sessions. Richard Mead Atwater died of an asthma attack at Painter’s Folly on October 20th, 1922. The property remained in the Atwater-Cleveland family until March 1953, when the executors of the Atwater estate sold 3.6 acres of land and Painter’s Folly to John and Mary Fisher. ORIGINS OF THE BRANDYWINE BATTLEFIELD PARK As early as 1922, discussions began about creating a state park at the site of the Battle of the Brandywine. Members of the American Legion of West Chester, governors of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, and Pennsylvania Senator Thomas Lawrence Eyre were all early supporters of creating a Brandywine Battlefield Park. Pennsylvania legislators spent years trying to develop the park but struggled to pass the necessary bills. In 1937, Senator Weldon B. Heyburn, a local from Concord Township, proposed setting aside $10,000 for the newly appointed Brandywine Battlefield Commission to acquire land for the park, and he continued to introduce related bills over the next ten years. It was not until May 1947 that the Pennsylvania Senate authorized the purchase of 50 acres of land for $50,000, and Governor James Duff approved the Brandywine Battlefield Park Bill in July 1947. Governor Duff appointed ten men to the Brandywine Battlefield Park Commission by November 1947, which included Bart Anderson, Samuel Bunking Lewis, Martin W. Clement, Colonel Joseph Knox Fornace, Edward Hopkinson Jr., Captain J. Clark Mansfield, Frank W. Melvin, J. Truman Swing, and Lewis H. Van Dusen. The commission had its work cut out for it, as the landowners disagreed with the state’s financial offer. The estates of Richard Mead Atwater and Dr. Arthur Cleveland, who owned both Washington’s Headquarters and Lafayette’s Headquarters, objected to the commission’s offer price. Brandywine Battlefield area landowners banded together to form the Brandywine Community Association in 1949, intending to develop the historic park independently, without relying on state financial aid or involvement. Acclaimed artist and Chadds Ford resident Andrew Wyeth served as a director of the group. Brandywine Community Association members worried the state would keep buying up the surrounding land and buildings, but that never materialized. The acreage of the Brandywine Battlefield Park remained at 50 acres. All the while, Painter’s Folly sat just over the property border, next to the Gideon Gilpin House, as a private residence. THE FISHERS: 1953-1974 The mid-century arrival and ownership of the Fisher family marked yet another chapter in the history of Painter’s Folly, but one that echoed sentiments from past owners. A lively family of seven filled the many rooms of Painter’s Folly. At the head of the family was John M. Fisher, a DuPont Company engineer who worked first in building and construction and, later, in design engineering. Fisher was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Delaware Society of Professional Engineers. John’s professional interests led him to tinker with and develop mathematical inventions known as slide rules. Fisher pursued a patent for one of his slide rules, designed to help bartenders craft specific alcoholic drinks. John’s wife, Mary Kay Kelley Fisher, also known as “Gerry,” was a homemaker and mother who was deeply involved in local politics. A native of West Virginia and no stranger to grand historic homes, Mary Fisher jumped feet first into Chadds Ford life. Mary served as secretary for the Brandywine Battlefield Park beginning in 1960, as president of the Democratic Women’s League of Delaware County, and as program chairwoman for the Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women. Mary often hosted political gatherings, luncheons, and fundraisers for her various political and charitable organizations at Painter’s Folly. Mary served as board president of Camp Sunshine in Thornbury Township, a Delaware County summer camp initiative for at-risk youth. Mary’s involvement in the Brandywine Battlefield Park and Camp Sunshine was certainly a connecting thread to Painter’s Folly’s past. Yet, her dedication to serving in both charity and political organizations was certainly paved, in part, by Eliza L. Sproat Turner’s suffrage work. Painter’s Folly had a keen ability to attract politically active women. The Fishers sold Painter’s Folly in August 1974 to George E. and Helen Murray Sipala. The Sipala Chapter would bring the Painter’s Folly narrative full circle. THE SIPALAS AND ANDREW WYETH: 1974-2018 George and Helen Sipala purchased Painter’s Folly with a sincere love for antique collecting and hosting grand parties. Although the home needed repairs when they bought it, the Sipalas moved into Painter’s Folly with deep appreciation for the house's history and architecture. George and Helen had five children. Both worked in real estate and were active in the numerous social circles of Delaware and Chester counties. However, the Sipalas’ lives changed forever during a snowstorm on March 1, 1989, when Chadds Ford resident and famed American artist Andrew Wyeth entered their lives, marking the beginning of a 20-year friendship. Andrew Wyeth Andrew Newell Wyeth was born July 12th, 1917, in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, to famed illustrator Newell Convers Wyeth and Carolyn Bockius Wyeth. He was the youngest of five children and grew up roaming the woods and hills along the Brandywine River. Andrew began drawing in childhood and, by his teens, took illustration lessons with his father in his nearby studio. His brother-in-law, Peter Hurd, introduced Andrew to egg tempera, which became a focal point of Wyeth’s work. Wyeth’s career took off in 1937 when he had his first solo exhibition in New York City at the Macbeth Gallery. Wyeth moved between watercolors and egg tempera, drawing inspiration from the landscapes and people of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and Cushing, Maine, where his wife and manager, Betsy James Wyeth, hailed from. Andrew Wyeth was considered a realist painter in the American regionalist style, a modern art movement that emerged in the 1930s and 1940s and depicted scenes of rural America. Andrew, however, considered himself an abstractionist. Art historians and critics note that Wyeth used abstract expressionism “as a means of directly transmitting/channeling the raw essence of felt poetic vision through the material.” Andrew Wyeth received numerous awards for his significant contributions to the art world. Wyeth was notably the first painter to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. Wyeth received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1988 and the National Medal of Arts in 2007. Andrew was elected to several prestigious institutions, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and the Royal Academy. For over seventy years, Andrew Wyeth captured a place's emotion in his work. When discussing the Kuerner Farm in Chadds Ford, a place of frequent inspiration, Andrew noted the emotional connection to his subjects: “It [Kuerner Farm]just excited me, purely abstractly and purely emotionally. “Painter’s Folly held the same sway over Wyeth and was a source of inspiration to the acclaimed artist. Andrew Wyeth’s friendship with the Sipalas The lives of Andrew Wyeth and George and Helen Sipala merged on Wednesday, March 1st, 1989. Helen and George were stowed away inside Painter’s Folly during the first snowstorm of the winter when they noticed a man dressed in a parka down by their swimming pool and seemingly sketching their house. The Sipalas observed the man sketching the property over the following days and finally approached him, immediately recognizing him as the artist Andrew Wyeth. Their first conversation included a discussion about Painter’s Folly’s ties to Andrew’s father, N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle. Helen Sipala recorded her interactions with Andrew Wyeth in a diary from 1989 to Andrew’s death in 2009. She later published a book, Beyond the Marriage Bed: My Years as a Friend, Model, and Confidante of Andrew Wyeth, in 2021, which included the diary and personal photographs. Helen’s diary entries provide an intimate glimpse into Andrew’s personality and his relationships in Chadds Ford. The Sipalas and Wyeth initially bonded over practical jokes, with humor diffusing the mystique and grandeur of Wyeth’s palpable fame. George Sipala and Andrew were well known for their comedic personalities. Helen’s early diary entries account for numerous practical jokes and pranks played between Andrew Wyeth and the Sipalas. Humor put everyone at ease, bringing comfort and a deep sense of trust among the three. Soon, George and Helen Sipala gave Andrew Wyeth access to Painter’s Folly, and Andrew came and went as he pleased. Andrew Wyeth often retreated to Painter’s Folly to escape the press, prying neighbors, jealous models, and even his own family. While Andrew Wyeth was at home in Chadds Ford from October through May, he let himself into Painter’s Folly in the early morning hours and often climbed the three flights of stairs up to the cupola to work. Wyeth left materials, studies, and paintings in Painter’s Folly and used a bedroom on the third floor as a private studio. Soon enough, others from Wyeth’s world figured out where he was stowed away and would burst into the house to search for him. The Sipalas began hosting grand dinner parties after Andrew Wyeth entered their home and lives. In addition to Andrew’s immediate family, an impressive cast of characters regularly filled the rooms of Painter’s Folly for Christmas parties. Notable visitors included Charles Cawley, Phyllis Diller, Anna Harnoncourt, Joseph Richel, Irene and Barbara duPont, Eugene and Cindy duPont Weymouth, Tom and Edna Hartness, the Kuerners, Gene Logsdon, Richard Meryman, Richard Sanford, Larry and Klara Silverstein, Frolic Weymouth, and the entire surviving extended Wyeth family. The Sipala-Wyeth Christmas parties became well-known and revered annual events, with attendees regularly singing Helen’s praise in follow-up thank-you letters. Andrew Wyeth’s work depicting Painter’s Folly and Sipalas According to the Wyeth Study Center at the Brandywine Museum of Art, there are 15 titled works that Andrew Wyeth completed while at Painter’s Folly. Outside these titled works, there are dozens of untitled watercolor and pencil studies. However, Andrew Wyeth began painting Painter’s Folly long before he met the Sipalas and used the home as a private studio. In 1967, Wyeth included the mansion in an untitled watercolor that depicts both Painter’s Folly and the Kuerner Farm from a distance. He revisited the house in 1968 in another watercolor, Toward Atwater's Study, this time from a closer distance. Twenty years later, Andrew Wyeth began a decade of steady work within the confines of Painter’s Folly, using the house as both a muse and a private studio space from October through May. The 1989 tempera Painter’s Folly was the first of many works that Andrew Wyeth completed in this new decade of friendship, collaboration, and symbiosis with the house and its inhabitants. This painting depicts the snow-covered exterior of Painter’s Folly, encircled by the Sipalas' pool-nymph statues. The 1990 Widow’s Walk depicts the exterior façade of the Painter’s Folly cupola, a place that captivated Wyeth from both the inside and outside. Wyeth used the cupola's interior as a setting for paintings often depicting Helen, including Glass House (1991), Dovecote (1992), Traveling Alone (1992), and Renfield (1999). Helen became a Wyeth muse in her own right, posing for paintings both as herself and as a Catholic nun character wearing a traditional habit. The nun paintings include Buttercups (1992), Cape May (1992), and Cornet (1992). Perhaps the most famous Sipala painting is Marriage (1993). The tempera shows George and Helen Sipala at home in Painter’s Folly, asleep in their bed. The painting resulted from Andrew’s close, personal relationship with the Sipalas and his often-voyeuristic approach to his models. The Sipalas provided Wyeth a key to Painter’s Folly early in their friendship, and Andrew would let himself into the home in the early hours of the weekend while George and Helen were still asleep. Marriage (1993) is a testament to their friendship, conveying the intimacy between Wyeth and the Sipalas. Andrew Wyeth often spoke with Helen Sipala about death, legacy, and the future, and those conversations culminated in a series of pencil sketches depicting Wyeth’s funeral, known as the “Funeral Group.” After seeing a photograph of Helen Sipala’s late father lying in a casket at his funeral, Wyeth began sketching his own funeral and a close-knit cadre of attendees between 1991 and 1994 while working out of Painter’s Folly. The Funeral Group comprises several loosely drawn ensemble landscapes depicting Wyeth’s funeral at the base of Kuerner Hill and a group of mourners surrounding the casket, along with several portrait studies of the mourners, each focusing on a single model. A cataloging note from one sketch in the collection identifies the attendees: “The artist laid out in a casket with friends looking down on him. L to R: Andy Bell, Jimmy Lynch, Helga Testorf, Betsy Wyeth, Anna Kuerner, and Helen Sipala.” Helen is often depicted in the funeral series, both in pencil portraits and in broader landscapes, likely because Wyeth worked on it while at Painter’s Folly. Helen kept this collection after Andrew Wyeth's death in 2009 but gave the works to the Wyeth family in 2019. Andrew’s contemplation on death and legacy extended to Painter’s Folly itself. According to Helen, Wyeth’s attempts to preserve Painter’s Folly were a point of pride, as he “believed Painter’s Folly belonged to the art world." Andrew’s wishes for Painter’s Folly did not end there. Helen Sipala recorded in her published diary that “he [Andrew Wyeth] was adamant Helen was to keep his works in Painter’s Folly if he died.” Andrew Wyeth’s connection to the building was comprehensive, including his family’s history with the property, Wyeth’s use of the home as a private studio, and his close friendship with George and Helen Sipala. Andrew Wyeth’s last visit to Painter’s Folly was on Christmas Day, 2008, when he came to visit the Sipalas with Helga Testorf. The Sipalas’ final encounter with their friend was on January 3rd, 2009. Andrew Wyeth died at his studio in Chadds Ford on January 16, 2009, at the age of 91. SALE TO CHADDS FORD TOWNSHIP: 2018-PRESENT George and Helen Sipala sold Painter’s Folly to Chadds Ford Township on March 29th, 2018. Chadds Ford Township used Open Space funds to purchase the property for $625,000. Initially, Chadds Ford Township purchased the property to protect Painter’s Folly from developers. The property was opened for paid tours and artist studio rentals known as The Studios of Painter’s Folly: Community Art Space on the second and third floors. However, Chadd Ford Township phased out public programming because of ADA accessibility concerns. Painter’s Folly now sits quiet and closed off to the public, with its future uncertain. The significance of Painter’s Folly lies in its role in shaping Chadds Ford’s identity. This distinctive Italianate mansion has symbolized leadership, creativity, and continuity for nearly 170 years. Thompson Mayes highlights the importance of historic places that foster creativity to the American public: “These places of creativity draw other people who want to connect to the power of creativity. Just as people traveled on pilgrimages to visit the relics of saints, they now go to visit the places where creative people worked, dreamed, and struggled … From Mark Twain’s house in Hartford, Donald Judd’s loft building in Manhattan, Jackson Pollock’s house on Long Island, to William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak, these places attract people who want to connect with the creative power of art and artists.” Painter’s Folly stands proudly among these places of creativity, serving not only as a reminder of Chadds Ford’s artistic heritage but also as a living testament to the enduring power of imagination rooted in place. Its preservation ensures that future generations can connect with the spirit of innovation and artistry that has long defined the community. In safeguarding Painter’s Folly, we honor the past, inspire the present, and secure a legacy of creativity that will continue to shape Chadds Ford’s identity for years to come. Selected Sources American Academy of Arts and Letters and National Institute of Arts and Letters. Program for the Annual Ceremonial, May 22, 1947. New York, 1947. American Foundation for the Blind. American Academy of Arts & Sciences. "Andrew Newell Wyeth." April 11, 2025. https://www.amacad.org/person/andrew-newell-wyeth. Baumgartner, Karen, William Coleman, and Lillian Kinney. "Re: BMA Research Center Inquiry – Painter's Folly." Email to Emma Leuschner, August 11, 2025. Berwick Enterprise. "Members Named to Brandywine Commission." November 18, 1947, 2. Brandywine Museum of Art. Andrew Wyeth: Home Places. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.brandywine.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/ANDREW%20WYETH%20HOME%20PLACES.pdf. Brattain, Michelle. "Turner, Eliza L. Sproat (1826–1903), Poet, Suffragist, and Women's Club Leader." American National Biography. February 2000. https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1501074. Daily Republican. "Anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine." September 12, 1921, 1. Delaware County Recorder of Deeds. Deeds for 142 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Deed Book R1, p. 463; Book W1, p. 571; Book Z2, p. 265; Book R, p. 237; Book 367, p. 620; Book 1673, p. 32. Delaware County Archives, Pennsylvania. Dorchester, Jane E. "Painter's Folly." National Register of Historic Places Inventory–Nomination Form. US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2025. PA-SHARE key no. 2019RE16276. Duff, James H. An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art. Little, Brown, 1987. Furst, Karen Smith. Around Chadds Ford. Arcadia, 2005. Hann, Mary Ford. "Countian Adds Nursing Class to Homemaking, Civic Duties." Delaware County Daily Times, July 3, 1963, 4. Hopkins, Henry W. "Birmingham." In Atlas of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 1870. Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.philageohistory.org. Kimmelman, Michael. "Andrew Wyeth, Painter, Dies at 91." New York Times, January 16, 2009. May, Jill P., and Robert E. May. Howard Pyle: Imagining an American School of Art. University of Illinois Press, 2011. Mayes, Thompson M. Why Old Places Matter: How Historic Places Affect Our Identity and Well-Being. Rowman & Littlefield, 2018. Michaelis, David. N. C. Wyeth: A Biography. Perennial, 2003. Morse, Willard S., and Gertrude Brinckle. Howard Pyle: A Record of His Illustrations and Writings. Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts, 1921. Reprint, Trieste Publishing, 2018. Mueller, A. H. "Birmingham." Plate 54 in Atlas of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, vol. 2. 1913. DelawareCountyHistory.com. Oliver, Gerry. "County Lines: Inventor Demonstrates Creativity." Delaware County Daily Times, February 7, 1962, 13. Philadelphia Inquirer. "Art and Artists: The Revolutionary Pictures at the Academy—A Special Exhibition at the Drexel—Other News." May 15, 1898, 15. Russell, Charles H. "Will Be State Park: Battle of Brandywine Lost by Colonials 171 Years Ago." Delaware County Daily Times, September 11, 1948, 1. Shaviro, Steven. "The Life and Death of Postmodern Emotions." Criticism 46, no. 1 (2004). Sipala, Helen Murray. Buttercups & Gratitude: My Illustrated Journey with Andrew Wyeth. Edited by Bruce Mowday. 2023. Sipala, Helen Murray, and Bruce E. Mowday. Beyond the Marriage Bed: My Years as Friend, Model and Confidante of Andrew Wyeth. Regent Press, 2021. Thompson, Jack B. "The Ramparts Are Stormed: 2d Battle of Brandywine On as Farmers Try to Halt Park." Delaware County Daily Times, March 9, 1949, 1–2. Time. "Milestones." January 25, 1937. US Census Bureau. Population schedules, Delaware County, Pennsylvania:Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Birmingham Township. NARA microfilm M432, roll 776, p. 102b.Ninth Census of the United States, 1870. Concord Township. NARA microfilm M593, roll 1336, p. 218A.Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Birmingham Township, enumeration district 140. NARA microfilm T623, roll 1404, p. 4.Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. Birmingham Township, enumeration district 95. NARA microfilm T624, roll 1338, p. 2b. Volpe, Christopher. "Wyeth the Abstract Expressionist." Streamline Publishing, November 15, 2024. Wyeth, Andrew, et al. Andrew Wyeth: Life and Death. Colby College Museum of Art; DelMonico Books/D.A.P., 2022.

Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance has completed several important research projects and site documentations. PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS Art Professor Emeritus Ed Worteck photographed countless images of Painter's Folly, Helen Murray Sipala, and her collection of Wyeth ephemera, as well as architectural documentation. Worteck's Painter's Folly photographs were made available to Chadds Ford Township for documentation, grant writing, and future research. CHAIN OF TITLE Pam Cawood Rizzo, a student at the University of Delaware's Center for Historic Architecture and Design, completed a comprehensive Painter's Folly Chain of Title in May 2025 that includes a historic narrative, tax data, historic photographs, and deed information. This project laid an important foundation for Painter's Folly's ownership history, changes in parcel size, and the site's integrity. CO-STEWARDSHIP MODELS Emma Leuschner compiled a list of current public-private partnerships for historic sites in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Leuschner worked with the Delaware County Planning Department to determine the number of co-stewarded historic sites in the same county as Painter's Folly. It was determined that 18 historic sites in Delaware County are municipally owned but operated by a separate organization, such as a historical society or other nonprofit. This information was shared with Chadds Ford Township officials via public comment at the 16 July 2025, Painter's Folly public meeting. The Delaware County Planning Department provided Chadds Ford Township with additional information regarding the agreements at those sites during a private meeting in Fall 2025. PHMC STATE HISTORICAL MARKER Chadds Ford Township approved Emma Leuschner to pursue a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission State Historical Marker application for Painter's Folly in May 2025. Leuschner submitted the pre-application paperwork to PHMC in January 2026 and received pre-approval in March 2026. Chadds Ford Township is applying for a Certified Local Government mini-grant in 2026 for the marker. The final packet was submitted, theconservation and facade easements allow for the market, but the final marker cost will fall to the new owner. PAINTER'S FOLLY: A NARRATIVE HISTORY Between June and September 2025, Emma Leuschner researched, wrote, and published Painter's Folly: A Narrative History, which covers the history and significance of the property's previous owners and residents. This research underscored Painter's Folly's close relationship to the other Chadds Ford historic landmarks, such as the Brandywine Battlefield Park and Kuerner Farm. The paper is publicly accessible on the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance website. HELEN SIPALA ORAL HISTORY RECORDINGS On 31 July 2025, Ed Worteck and Emma Leuschner interviewed historian Thomas Wood for an oral history project on Helen Murray Sipala. Dr. Robert Kodosky, the West Chester University History Department Chair, recommended Wood for this project based on Wood's expertise in conducting oral history interviews. FolAfter initial interview, Leuschner and Worteck hired Thomas Wood to interview and record Helen Murray Sipala on aboutr life, her friendship with Andrew Wyeth, and their relationship at Painter's Folly. Interviews were conducted on 8 August 2025, 13 August 2025, and 19 August 2025. The rniversity of Kentucky's Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History aholds the recordings in perpetuity nd makes them available to scholars and researchers. Thomas Wood gave the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance two copies of the recordings on thumb drives. The Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance website includes a page that directs researchers to the repository website. https://www.kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7vzzjmr7cks HELEN SIPALA PHOTO/DOCUMENT ALBUMS TO THE BRANDYWINE MUSEUM OF ART In July and August 2025, Ed Worteck coordinated with Dr. William L. Coleman (Wyeth Foundation Curator and Director of the Andrew & Betsy Wyeth Study Center) and Karen Baumgartner (Collections Manager for the Andrew & Betsy Wyeth Study Center) for the Brandywine Museum of Art to scan Helen Murray Sipala's collection of document albums. The photo and document albums were compiled during Wyeth's visits to the house, at social events he organized at Painter's Folly, and from personal messages sent to the Sipalas by Andrew and Betsy Wyeth, as well as other Wyeth family members. There are additional records of conversations and messages from Wyeth's only authorized biographer, Richard Merryman, who used Painter's Folly to relay private messages about the biography directly to Andrew Wyeth. The document scans are held in the Wyeth Study Center archive for future research. HELEN SIPALA DIARY + ALBUMS TO THE DELAWARE ART MUSEUM In November 2025, Ed Worteck and architectural historian W. Barksdale Maynard arranged for Helen Murray Sipala's 445-page diary and full collection of document albums to be accessioned in the Delaware Art Museum archive and made publicly accessible for research. Worteck wrote the collection description for Delaware Art Museum archivist Rachael DiEleuterio. Emma Leuschner and Worteck assisted Helen Murray Sipala in transferring materials to DiEleuterio on 12 November 2025. This project underscores the significance of Painter's Folly's history and ensures that critical primary documents related to Andrew Wyeth, Helen Murray Sipala, and Painter's Folly are professionally maintained and accessible for further research. PAINTER'S FOLLY: A CATALYST FOR REVOLUTIONARY MEMORY AND AMERICAN ART In early 2026, Emma Leuschner authored a 13,000+ word essay titled “Painter’s Folly: A Catalyst for Revolutionary Memory and American Art.” The paper traces the profound legacy of the c. 1856 Italianate residence in Chadds Ford, originally built by Samuel H. Painter and later home to illustrator Howard Pyle during his transformative Chadds Ford summer schools (1898–1903). Leuschner argues that Painter’s Folly served as a catalyst for the Howard Pyle School of Art and the development of the Brandywine School style, shaping the careers of artists such as Frank Earle Schoonover, Newell Convers Wyeth, and Andrew Wyeth. The essay was added to the Howard Pyle Manuscript Collection at the Delaware Art Museum and nominated for the Pennsylvania Historical Association’s 2026 William A. Pencak Award. Leuschner will present the paper at the 2026 Pennsylvania Historical Association's conference. DIGITIZING THE ATWATER-CLEVEAND PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION PFPA has acquired a collection of 900 Atwater-Cleveland family photographs, spanning from the 1840s to the 1960s. Many were taken at Painter's Folly and offer a rare window into the Chadds Ford landscape at the turn of the twentieth century. We're currently digitizing the collection before donating it to a permanent archive. The Cleveland-Atwater era was one of the most transformative chapters in Painter's Folly's history. Dr. Arthur Cleveland, a laryngologist on staff at Presbyterian Hospital and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, became owner of Painter's Folly and its 500 surrounding acres in 1903. A former ward of Joseph and Eliza Turner of Chadds Ford, he also served as President of the Birmingham Township Board of Supervisors. Together with his father-in-law, Richard Mead Atwater, Dr. Cleveland ran Lafayette Dairies — one of only two local dairies selling milk in glass bottles. The Cleveland-Atwater family's holdings — including Washington's Headquarters, Lafayette's Headquarters, Painter's Folly, Windtryst, Turner's Mill, and Red Barn Farm (Kuerner Farm) — placed the family at the center of the very debates that led to the creation of today's Brandywine Battlefield Park, formally established with the Brandywine Battlefield Bill of 1947. THE WYETH INTERVIEW PROJECT The Wyeth Interview Project is an ongoing oral history and documentation effort by the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance. Since launching, we've spoken with more than ten of Andrew Wyeth's former models and friends across Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maine, gathering firsthand accounts that have never been recorded. The work continues on a rolling basis — each conversation shapes the next, and the archive grows as more subjects come forward. We're documenting everything according to ethical oral-history standards, with an eye toward preserving these voices, especially the women's, for scholars and the public alike. ONGOING PROJECTS Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance co-founders Emma Leuschner and Ed Worteck continue to develop research on the history and importance of Painter's Folly, building a library of documents, photographs, and oral history interviews. This research supports preservation efforts for Painter's Folly and provides evidence of the landscape and building's importance as a crucial site in American history and the development of American art and the Brandywine School of Art.

UPDATE: Donations to Chadds Ford Township will not be accepted after the Painter's Folly public sale on October 22, 2026. What happens to a landmark this important when the government that owns it can no longer afford to keep it? The Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance was founded in the summer of 2025 to help answer that question. Increasingly, the answer we hear from neighbors, art lovers, and history buffs alike is some version of: "How can I help? Can I just donate?" The honest answer is more interesting than a simple yes or no. Because Painter's Folly isn't privately owned — it belongs to Chadds Ford Township — a donation to save it doesn't work like a donation to a typical nonprofit. It works like a donation to your local government. That comes with its own rules, paperwork, and protections. This post walks through exactly how that process works, so that when you're ready to give, you know what you're actually signing up for. From Public Purchase to Public Question Chadds Ford Township bought Painter's Folly in 2018 through its Open Space program, with the goal of preserving it and eventually opening it to the public. Since then, the Township has run a pilot artist-studios program, pursued grant funding, and held public meetings in 2024 and 2025 to gather resident feedback. But preserving a 170-year-old landmark is expensive, and by the summer of 2025, the Township began weighing a public sale of the property — potentially by auction. That prospect is what brought our Alliance together. We have spent the past year documenting the property's architectural history, ownership records, and archival materials, with the goal of finding an established nonprofit, government agency, school, or other institution willing to take ownership and keep the house accessible to the public. Individual donations are part of that effort too, which is where the legal questions come in. Can You Just Write a Check? Not exactly — but the Township does have clear legal authority to accept your gift, and to make sure it's spent the way you intend. As a Second Class Township under Pennsylvania law, Chadds Ford's power to accept donations for Painter's Folly comes from two sections of the Second Class Township Code (Title 53 of Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes). The first is Section 1541, which specifically covers historical property. It authorizes the Board of Supervisors to "acquire by purchase or by gift, repair, supervise, operate and maintain ancient landmarks and other property of historical or antiquarian interest," and to make appropriations to nonprofits organized for the same purpose. Pennsylvania courts and municipal practice read "gift" here to include monetary donations earmarked for repairing, supervising, operating, and maintaining a landmark — not just gifts of the real estate itself. The second is Section 1503, the Township's general corporate powers over property. It allows the Board to "purchase, acquire by gift, hold, lease, use and manage, sell and convey real and personal property" in the Township's best interest. Under Pennsylvania law, money counts as personal property. This section gives the Township the standing corporate authority to accept your cash donation in support of a piece of real property it already owns. Where Your Money Actually Goes Accepting the gift is only half the story. Because public funds require transparency, the Township uses two more sections of the code, Section 1502 (Current Expenses) and Section 1702 (Budgets), to place accepted donations into a restricted, line-item category in the general ledger, earmarked specifically for Painter's Folly. That structure exists precisely so your donation can't quietly get absorbed into the Township's general operating budget. If you give money for Painter's Folly, it legally has to stay tagged for Painter's Folly. The Paperwork Behind a Handshake Here's the part that surprises most people: the Board of Supervisors can't simply deposit a check you hand them. Under the Second Class Township Code, accepting a gift requires a public process. The Board must add the donation to an upcoming public meeting agenda and vote on a formal Resolution to Accept a Gift. That resolution is what actually directs the funds into the restricted ledger category earmarked for Painter's Folly preservation. In short, three things have to happen, in public, before your donation becomes usable: The Board exercises its corporate power to accept the gift, under Sections 1503 and 1541. The Board votes on it at a public meeting, per Section 603. And the Board legally segregates the funds from general revenue, per Section 1702. Local governments handle the second and third steps at once through a single Board Resolution — the standard tool for this exact situation. The One Catch Worth Knowing None of this means the Board is obligated to say yes. The Second Class Township Code gives the Board of Supervisors final discretion over whether to accept any given gift. If a donation arrives with restrictions the Township doesn't have the staff to administer, or if it would commit the Township to an indefinite financial burden it can't sustain, the Board has the legal right to decline it. In practice, this is less a warning than a reason to give thoughtfully. A donation offered in good faith, without complicated strings attached, and routed through the process above is exactly the kind of gift the code was written to accommodate. What This Means If You Want to Help Painter's Folly's future is still being written. Whether it ends up in the hands of a museum, a school, a preservation nonprofit, or continues under Township stewardship with community support, individual donations remain one of the clearest, most legally straightforward ways for a neighbor to have a direct hand in the outcome. If you'd like to contribute, the next Board of Supervisors meeting is the place to start that formal, public process. The story of Painter's Folly has always been about people who saw more in this house than its neighbors expected. Its next chapter depends on people willing to do the same. *This information is provided for general awareness and is not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Anyone considering a donation should consult Chadds Ford Township directly or their own legal counsel with questions about the process.

This timeline integrates information from Chadds Ford Township publications, the Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance, official minutes of Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors meetings, an extensive collection of township records—including correspondence, grant applications, meeting minutes, press releases, and related files—and a personal research archive maintained by a co-founder of the Alliance. This archive includes meeting notes, press releases, award nominations, an internal accomplishments log, letters of support, and published press coverage. Additionally, a 2026 essay by researcher Emma Leuschner on Painter’s Folly’s art-historical significance was incorporated to detail the property’s history before township ownership. Entries are organized by category rather than strict chronology; within each category, entries are presented chronologically. Consequently, the same date range may appear multiple times across different sections. I. History of Private Ownership Date Event Source 1700s The Painter family acquires land in what is now Birmingham/Chadds Ford Township. Township 1828 William Painter purchases the Gideon Gilpin house and farm. Township 1845 William Painter transfers 200 acres of farmland and the Gideon Gilpin house to his son, Samuel. Township 1856–1857 Samuel and Mary Painter build the Italianate-style mansion later known as Painter’s Folly — also called “Lafayette’s Hall,” “Lafayette Farms,” “Lafayette Manor,” and locally the “Big White House” over the years — along with a carriage house, built by unknown local craftsmen. A 2026 essay by researcher Emma Leuschner instead attributes the design’s stylistic influence to Chester County-born architect Samuel Sloan, citing similarities to two other Italianate homes he designed in nearby West Chester (1854, 1860). Township; National Register nomination; Leuschner essay 1870 Samuel Painter dies; Joseph Turner acquires Lafayette Manor and develops “Lafayette Farms.” Township 1898– 1903 Turner leases Lafayette Manor to illustrator Howard Pyle as a residence during his Chadds Ford summer art program, later known as the Howard Pyle School of Art (“The Brandywine School”); students include N.C. Wyeth and Frank Schoonover. Notable works completed at the property during this period include Pyle’s “The Evacuation of Charleston” (1898), “Benedict Arnold Tells His Wife of the Discovery of His Treason” (1898), and “The Nation Makers” (1902), alongside student works by Schoonover, N.C. Wyeth, and others. Pyle described his aim as rooting instruction in “that which we as Americans know and love.” Township; Alliance; Leuschner essay Jul. 4, 1903 During the 1903 Chadds Ford summer school, Newell Convers (N.C.) Wyeth spends the Fourth of July with the Pyle family at Painter’s Folly; Howard Pyle gives Wyeth a tour of the Battle of the Brandywine sites, an account Wyeth called “the finest discourse I ever heard” and later described as fixing his lifelong devotion to Chadds Ford. Leuschner essay 1904 Dr. Arthur Cleveland and Richard Mead Atwater purchase the property. Township 1911 Howard Pyle dies in Italy from complications of a kidney infection. Leuschner essay 1916 The property operates as an active dairy farm and orchard known as “Lafayette Farm,” with several agricultural outbuildings including a main barn and an ornate chicken house known locally as “the Palace” (later demolished). National Register nomination 1922 Richard Atwater dies; the Cleveland family continues to reside at the property. Township 1949 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania exercises eminent domain to create Brandywine Battlefield State Park, separating the Gideon Gilpin farm from the property. Township 1953 The Cleveland family sells the property to John and Mary Fisher. Township 1965 The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission declares Painter’s Folly, together with Turner’s Mill and Howard Pyle’s Wilmington studios, the “birthplace of the Brandywine Tradition.” Leuschner essay 1974 The Fishers sell the property to George and Helen Sipala. Township 1989–2009 Beginning in March 1989, artist Andrew Wyeth begins a decade of regular private work at the property — using a third-floor room as a studio each year from October to May, with a key given to him by owners George and Helen Sipala — producing notable works including “Painter’s Folly” (1989), “Widow’s Walk” (1990, evoking Howard Pyle’s fatal 1910 voyage to Italy), “Marriage” (1993), and “The Funeral Series” (1991–1994), later cataloged as depicting imagined mourners at Wyeth’s own funeral. Township; Alliance; Leuschner essay Jan. 16, 2009 Andrew Wyeth dies. Township 2019 The “Funeral Series” materials Wyeth had kept at Painter’s Folly are removed from the property. Leuschner essay 2021 Former owner Helen Murray Sipala publishes a memoir co-authored with Bruce E. Mowday, “Beyond the Marriage Bed: My Years as Friend, Model and Confidante of Andrew Wyeth” (Regent Press), documenting her family’s decades-long friendship with the artist at Painter’s Folly. Leuschner essay Nov. 12, 2025 Former owner Helen Murray Sipala’s 445-page diary and photo/document albums are accessioned into the Delaware Art Museum archive, facilitated by Ed Worteck and architectural historian Dr. W. Barksdale Maynard. Alliance II. Chadds Ford Township Ownership Date Event Source Apr. 2017–Mar. 2018 The Sipala family lists Painter’s Folly for sale, originally at $795,000 (listed Apr. 5, 2017). After 225 days on the market, Chadds Ford Township agrees on Nov. 15, 2017, to purchase the property for $625,000 in cash, using Township Open Space funds; the sale closes on March 29, 2018. The listing described it as the last of the Chadds Ford properties Andrew Wyeth frequented for inspiration to be offered for public sale. Township; Alliance; MLS listing record Aug. 12, 2019 The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) issues a Determination of Eligibility (DOE) for Painter’s Folly’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Twp. records Sep. 27, 2019 The IRS issues a determination letter granting “Friends of Painter’s Folly” formal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status (EIN 84-3150305), classified as a historical society, with Supervisor Noelle Barbone as principal officer; the organization continues filing annual IRS e-postcard (990-N) notices through at least tax year 2024, with Laura Lim later listed as principal officer. Twp. records; IRS records Nov. 26, 2019 Friends of Painter’s Folly Steering Committee meets; Supervisor Noelle Barbone reviews the property’s significance and the Township’s purchase; Township Manager Maryann Furlong reports a PHMC grant application has been submitted toward a structural assessment, preservation plan, and feasibility study on future uses. Next meeting set for Jan. 28, 2020. Twp. records Jul. 9, 2020 An early meeting of the “Friends of Painter’s Folly” Steering Committee is held (referenced as prior minutes in the Sept. 9, 2021 meeting). Twp. records circa 2020 The Township infills a 20th-century swimming pool that had stood just northeast of the house; only a partial concrete retaining wall remains today. National Register nomination 2021 The Township commissions Patterhn Ives to prepare a formal Preservation Plan for Painter’s Folly (total cost $49,356, including the $25,000 PHMC CLG grant); the plan evaluates artist studios, a bed-and-breakfast, and artist apartments as potential uses. Alliance Jul. 27 & Aug. 24, 2021 The Township holds public meetings to gather resident feedback on potential uses for the building. Alliance Sep. 9, 2021 Friends of Painter’s Folly Steering Committee meets; discusses building maintenance, a sign contest, and future building use (B&B vs. more active community use) in light of the Patterhn Ives study. Twp. records Feb. 16, 2022 Steering Committee reviews the completed Preservation Plan — discussing ADA access, an artist-studio concept for the 2nd/3rd floors, a proposed Municipal Conservation zoning district, and possible federal/state tax-credit and Keystone/CLG grant programs. Consensus recommendation to the Board: art studios with a possible live-in caretaker, not a B&B or live-in apartments. Twp. records Mar. 17, 2022 Steering Committee discusses implementation of the art-studio option, fundraising for renovations, and specific needs raised by local artists (lighting, ventilation, storage, parking). National Register nomination work continues, delayed by COVID. Twp. records Jul. 19, 2022 Steering Committee tours the building with local artists and targets a post–Labor Day 2022 opening for second-floor community art studios; discusses reviving the “Christmas in Miniature” exhibit tradition. Twp. records Jan. 2023 The “Artist Studios at Painter’s Folly” pilot programlaunches, offering three-month studio rotations with Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. access. Alliance Mar. 6, 2024 At the Board of Supervisors meeting, Studios artist liaison Annette Alessi raises concerns about ADA accessibility (an unsecured stair railing) and ventilation in the Artist Studios space. Twp. records Mar. 21, 2024 The Township notifies Studio artists that the program is closing; artists are credited for township holiday closures and asked to vacate by March 31, 2024, after which the building will be closed to the public and secured with a new lock system. Twp. records Mar. 31, 2024 The Artist Studios program is discontinued following resident concerns about ADA accessibility, ventilation, and unverified claims of mold. Township figures show the pilot generated $7,195 in 2023 and $1,450 in 2024 studio-rental income (net profit of roughly $6,959 after supply costs and consignment commission). Alliance; Twp. records Apr. 11, 2024 The PA State Historic Preservation Office’s Deputy SHPO signs the certification recommending Painter’s Folly for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (nomination prepared by architectural historian Jane E. Dorchester). Twp. records Jun. 5–26, 2024 The Township receives official word that Painter’s Folly has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Board discusses next steps at its June 26, 2024 workshop meeting. Twp. records Aug. 15, 2024 The Board of Supervisors and Open Space Committee hold a joint public workshop meeting on Painter’s Folly (30 members of the public attended); the Township presents a financial history of the property and survey results from 25 residents and 11 non-residents: 27 in favor of continued preservation/public use (16 residents, 11 non-residents) and 10 in favor of selling. Public comment includes support for artist studios, deed restrictions, and Brandywine Museum involvement, alongside calls to divest the property. Twp. records; Alliance Oct. 2024 The Township begins publicly considering divestment (sale) of the property as an option. Alliance Oct. 14, 2024 Delaware County Planning Department planner Beverlee Barnes meets with Township Manager Lacey Faber and Vice Chair Kathleen Goodier on Painter’s Folly preservation planning, including a possible transfer of ownership. Twp. records Nov. 1, 2024 Troy Grubb, Historic Site Administrator at Brandywine Battlefield State Park, tells the Township that PHMC is “no longer interested” in reunifying Painter’s Folly with the Battlefield park. Twp. records Jan. 13, 2025 The Township sends an official appointment letter naming Ed Worteck as Painter’s Folly Liaison, following an Open Space Committee/Board recommendation. Twp. records Jan. 22, 2025 Troy Grubb of PHMC/Brandywine Battlefield State Park meets with Township Manager Lacey Faber regarding Painter’s Folly. Twp. records Early 2025 The Township publicly explores the possibility of a public auction or sale of the property. Alliance Mar. 5, 2025 The Board of Supervisors and Open Space Committee schedule a joint executive session on Painter’s Folly for March 19, 2025. Twp. records May 12, 2025 Township Manager Lacey Faber formally introduces Ed Worteck as “our Painter’s Folly Liaison” in outreach to a preservation contact regarding the property. Twp. records May 21–22, 2025 Vice Chair Goodier forwards a Pennsylvania historical marker opportunity for Painter’s Folly; the Township Manager confirms it will be added to the Board’s agenda. Emma Leuschner and Pam Cawood Rizzo are credited with pursuing the marker nomination. Twp. records May 30, 2025 Liaison Worteck, working with Emma Leuschner and Pam Cawood Rizzo and with input from the PA State Historic Preservation Office, explores pursuing National Historic Landmark (NHL) recognition for Painter’s Folly/the Brandywine School of Art; the Board plans to discuss forming a historical commission. Twp. records Jun. 13–18, 2025 At the Township’s request, the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art drafts a letter highlighting Painter’s Folly’s Wyeth and Pyle history; the Board of Supervisors and Open Space Committee hold a joint executive session on June 18 reviewing a chain-of-title document and an “Auction Marketing Proposal” for the property. Twp. records Jul. 16, 2025 The Township holds a special public Town Hall for community input on Painter’s Folly’s future, presenting a “dual track” approach — continuing to seek a preservation partner while also preparing a possible public auction with exterior easements as a fallback. Thirteen speakers voice support for preservation, two favor an auction, and two are undecided. Township; Alliance; Twp. records Jul. 31, 2025 The Township releases a public update referencing legal easements and continued consideration of a possible sale; the Chadds Ford Today newsletter runs a “Painter’s Folly: History & Progress” feature with a financial history of the property. Alliance; Twp. records Aug. 2025 The Board discontinues communication with liaison Ed Worteck. Worteck was refused further permission to complete documentation of the interior of Painter's Folly by former Township employee Laura Lim with no formal explanation or confirmation from Township Managers or Supervisors. In addition, Worteck sent an email to CFT Solicitor Mike Maddren on 5/27/2026 asking for a written explanation concerning the lack of access to complete documentation of Painter's Folly interior to facilitate grant applications and histories of the site. Mr. Maddren never replied to the query. Alliance Sep. 25, 2025 Representatives of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia meet with Township Manager Lacey Faber and Vice Chair Goodier; the Township indicates openness to cooperative partners and interior easements, and confirms that reunifying Painter’s Folly with Brandywine Battlefield State Park had been explored with PHMC but was deemed infeasible by the state. Alliance Oct. 16, 2025 DELCO Today reports on a Hidden City Philadelphia article revealing the Township’s plan to auction Painter’s Folly, with officials citing an inability to find outside help or continue affording the property’s upkeep; the plan draws opposition from preservationists and historians. Alliance Nov. 5, 2025 Township Manager Lacey Faber begins correspondence regarding a potential private partner for Painter’s Folly, an early step in exploratory discussions that lead to Township outreach to the prospective private lessee/buyer, Caryn Kunkle. Twp. records Dec. 12, 2025 Township Manager Lacey Faber emails prospective private partner Caryn Kunkle requesting a formal business plan for a potential lease or purchase of Painter’s Folly, referencing their prior November correspondence and Township Solicitor Mike Maddren. Twp. records Dec. 2025 The Board decides not to reappoint a Painter’s Folly liaison for 2026. Alliance Feb. 25, 2026 (Workshop) Vice Chair Goodier reports meeting with representatives of the Delaware County Historical Society and the Chadds Ford Historical Society regarding Painter’s Folly; no financial partner has been identified yet. BOS minutes Apr. 8, 2026 (Regular Mtg.) The Board approves an estimate from Nichols Construction, not to exceed $4,070, to remove two dead/declining trees at Painter’s Folly and Mother Archie’s Corner. Resident Helen Sipala raises concerns about ensuring the contractor is qualified, given that electrical wires run through the tree at Painter’s Folly. Motion: Supervisor Reiner; Second: Vice Chair Goodier. All in favor. The tree work was not completed. BOS minutes Aug. 12, 2026 The Board of Supervisors votes unanimously to approve a public auction of Painter’s Folly, tentatively scheduled for October/November 2026 through Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Company, with sale proceeds directed to the Township’s Open Space Fund — the same fund used to purchase the property in 2018. Alliance III. Chadds Ford Township Grant Funding and Key Projects Date Event Source 2020 The Township is awarded a $25,000 PHMC Certified Local Government (CLG) grant to hire Patterning Ives, LLC to prepare the Preservation Plan for Painter’s Folly. Twp. records; Press release May 2, 2023 Pereira Construction LLC submits a proposal (total $85,955) for roof coating, exterior porch, masonry, and decorative cast-iron repair work on the exterior of Painter’s Folly. Twp. records Jun. 30, 2023 The Township issues a press release announcing PHMC’s $100,000 Keystone Preservation Grant award; the release recaps the 2018 purchase and the 2020 PHMC Certified Local Government grant ($25,000) used to hire Patterhn Ives for the preservation plan. Chair Samantha Reiner, Vice Chair Frank Murphy, and Supervisor Noelle Barbone are credited with supporting the project. Twp. records Jul. 12–14, 2023 Pereira Construction completes the first phase of exterior repair work at Painter’s Folly — removing and replacing porch roof rafters and framing, replacing roughly 60 feet of beams and 40 feet of crown molding and fascia, and hand-sanding, repainting, and reconfiguring the decorative cast-iron porch posts — invoicing $85,955 total with $54,550 completed as of July 14. Twp. records Nov. 3, 2023 PHMC Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Agreement(SAP Contract #C980002421, PA-SHARE Project #2023PR02248) takes effect, awarding up to $100,000 toward “Painter’s Folly Rehabilitation Phase I” (ADA accessibility improvements), within a reported $317,060 total project budget. Twp. records; Alliance Sep. 9–11, 2025 PHMC approves a time extension on the Keystone Grant Agreement, moving the termination date to September 30, 2026 (Comptroller-signed effective Sept. 11, 2025). Twp. records Nov. 24–26, 2025 The Township submits a $720,000 Local Share Account (LSA) grant application for critical repairs — windows, doors, shutters, and roof work — filed Nov. 26, 2025 at 1:50 p.m. The application (Exhibit 1, Nov. 30, 2025) is accompanied by letters of support from the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, State Senator John Kane, and the Township’s own Open Space Committee, HARB, and Planning Commission, and notes a separate, then-pending application to the American Battlefield Protection Program for related battlefield-preservation funding. Twp. records; confirmed in Jan. 28, 2026 BOS minutes IV. Chadds Ford Township Conservation Easements Date Event Source Mar. 17, 2025 Township Manager Lacey Faber reaches out to Bethel Township, which had completed a façade easement with an endowment component, for guidance on structuring a similar easement for Painter’s Folly; the Township also circulates an internal “PF Public Statement” to liaison Ed Worteck and Vice Chair Kathleen Goodier. Twp. records May 2025 The Township begins coordinating with the North American Land Trust (NALT) on conservation and façade easements as a long-term preservation tool. Township Oct. 2025 A $50,000 Open Space budget line item for “Conservation and Façade Easement” work is circulated. Alliance Jan. 28, 2026 Staff confirm the $720,000 LSA grant application (windows, doors, shutters, roof) has been submitted. The Township continues coordinating with NALT on conservation/façade easements; the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia is noted as providing on-site guidance on preservation tools and easement monitoring. BOS minutes Feb. 11, 2026 The Board votes to authorize the Township Manager to enter a Conservation Easement Services Agreement with NALT for a land conservation easement and a historic external façade easement, not to exceed $50,000 (inclusive of fees and the required stewardship contribution), subject to Solicitor review. Motion: Vice Chair Goodier; Second: Chair Trigg. All in favor. BOS minutes Mar. 25, 2026 Vice Chair Goodier reports an on-site meeting with the Township Manager and NALT to discuss the conservation and façade easements. BOS minutes Apr. 22, 2026 Staff update the Board on NALT easement progress and note that the required site survey will be discussed that evening; the Board directs staff to obtain site-survey cost estimates for the May 13 agenda. Historical marker nominations are submitted through PHMC for Rev. Lydia Archie and Painter’s Folly, with thanks to Chair Trigg and Emma Leuschner for their work on the submissions. BOS minutes May 13, 2026 The Board reviews three survey/drafting proposals (HRG, Regester Associates, InLand Design) for the façade and conservation easement work and votes to authorize an agreement with InLand Design, not to exceed $2,440, to complete the Painter’s Folly site survey at 1421 Baltimore Pike. Motion: Vice Chair Goodier; Second: Supervisor Reiner. All in favor. BOS minutes Jun. 24, 2026 Staff report the Painter’s Folly site survey has been completed; the conservation and façade easement documents continue to be drafted. BOS minutes Sept. 9, 2026 The Board approved the easements and set the October 14 zoning hearing. BOS minutes Sept. 11, 2026 Chadds Ford Township announces the sale of Painter's Folly. BOS minutes, website Sept. 14, 2026 NALT signed the easements. Township Sept. 16, 2026 Both easements were recorded. Township Sept. 18, 2026 Max Spann publishes press release on Painter's Folly auction Township Oct. 14, 2026 Chadds Ford Township Zoning Hearing BOS minutes Oct. 22, 2026 Painter's Folly auction Township V. Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance Date Event Source May 19, 2025 During a property tour, Vice Chair Kathleen Goodier mentions to liaison Ed Worteck and Emma Leuschner and Pam Cawood Rizzo that the Township is considering a public auction of Painter’s Folly — the earliest documented instance of the prospect being raised directly to the group that would go on to found PFPA. Alliance Jun. 26–Jul. 17, 2025 Ahead of and following the July 16 Town Hall, PFPA organizers contact more than 60 regional historical societies, museums, and preservation organizations seeking letters of support for Painter’s Folly’s preservation, ultimately securing letters from at least 18 — including the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, the Delaware County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, the Radnor, Haverford Township, Aston Township, Middletown Township, Newtown Square, and Concord Township historical societies, the Brinton 1704 House, Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead, and the Delaware County Heritage Commission — for submission to the Board of Supervisors. Alliance Jul. 22, 2025 In response to the Township’s consideration of a public auction, Ed Worteck, Emma Leuschner, and Pam Cawood Rizzo hold the first grassroots meeting of what becomes the Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance (PFPA), formed to advocate for the property’s preservation and seek an institutional partner. Alliance Aug. 12, 2025 PFPA members meet as a citizens’ group, discussing potential interior easements with the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, marketing strategy for a “Friends of Painter’s Folly” effort, and reserving related website and social-media handles. Alliance Aug. 15, 2025 PFPA co-founders Ed Worteck and Emma Leuschner interview former owner Helen Sipala about her decades-long friendship with Andrew Wyeth at Painter’s Folly, research later incorporated into a 2026 essay on the property’s art-historical significance. Leuschner essay Aug. 26, 2025 PFPA members tour The Willows, a Radnor Township-owned mansion operated under a non-profit lease/co-stewardship model, to research a possible template for Painter’s Folly. Alliance Sep. 2, 2025 The Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance formally organizes. Alliance Sep. 10, 2025 PFPA launches a “Preserve Painter’s Folly” Change.org petition (ultimately drawing over 900 signatures) along with an open letter to the Board recommending additional public meetings/surveys, reappointing a qualified liaison, a full Historic Structures Report, a Request for Proposals process for adaptive reuse, and comprehensive interior and exterior easements. Alliance Feb. 1, 2026 PHMC pre-approves the Painter’s Folly Historical Marker pre-application, initiated by Emma Leuschner on behalf of Chadds Ford Township. Alliance Apr. 1, 2026 Emma Leuschner formally submits the PHMC Historical Marker Significance & Documentation Worksheet nominating “Painter’s Folly and the Brandywine School.” Alliance Apr. 7, 2026 PFPA nominates Helen Sipala and Ed Worteck for 2026 Delaware County Heritage Commission Preservation Awards; Sipala is selected for the A. Richard Paul Lifetime Achievement Award and Worteck for an Individual Achievement Award. Alliance May 2, 2026 The Delaware County Preservation Awards ceremony is held; Helen Sipala and Ed Worteck receive their respective preservation awards for Painter’s Folly advocacy and documentation work. Alliance May 2026 Preservation Pennsylvania publishes its 2026 “Pennsylvania At Risk” list, naming Painter’s Folly one of five endangered historic sites statewide. Alliance Jul. 19, 2026 PFPA issues a press release seeking an institutional partner to steward Painter’s Folly, noting that the Township’s original auction timeline (at one point contemplated for as early as July 2025) had been slowed amid the Alliance’s advocacy, and that no public auction date had yet been announced. Alliance Aug. 14, 2026 PFPA issues a public statement acknowledging the Township’s stated intent to protect the property via NALT conservation and façade easements (not yet finalized), noting that a separate interior easement with the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia was considered and ultimately rejected, and raising questions about the Open Space Committee’s lack of advance notice, the fate of the house’s remaining furnishings, funding responsibility for the pending PHMC historical marker, and the status of the $720,000 LSA and $100,000 Keystone grant applications. Alliance Oct. 24, 2026 Emma Leuschner presentation on "Painter's Folly: A Catalyst for Revolutionary Memory and American Art" at Pennsylvania Historical Association's Annual Conference Alliance Sources Key Chadds Ford Township Chadds Ford Township, “Painter’s Folly,” chaddsfordpa.gov/open-spaces/page/painters-folly Board of Supervisors minutes — Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors Regular and Workshop Meeting Minutes, January–June 2026 Twp. records — Friends of Painter’s Folly Steering Committee minutes; the PHMC Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Agreement (C980002421) and related time-extension approval; the PHMC Determination of Eligibility and National Register nomination; the 2021 Preservation Plan; grant applications (Keystone, LSA) and their letters of support; press releases; Township meeting minutes and agendas (2024–2025); and Township staff/Board of Supervisors correspondence and internal memos, all provided from Township files or the Painter’s Folly Google Drive Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance (paintersfollypreservationalliance.com), including its published website timeline, press releases, petition and open letters, award nominations/narratives, meeting notes, and published press coverage (DELCO Today, Hidden City Philadelphia, and others) compiled by the Alliance Leuschner essay — Emma Leuschner, “Painter’s Folly: A Catalyst for Revolutionary Memory and American Art” (2026), an independently researched essay on the property’s art-historical significance, drawing on primary sources including Wyeth family correspondence, Helen Sipala’s 2021 memoir, and an Aug. 15, 2025 interview with Helen Sipala. The paper was nominated for the 2026 William Pencak Prize and accepted for presentation at the 2026 Pennsylvania Historical Association's Annual Meeting. MISC. National Register nomination — Painter’s Folly National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (certified by the PA Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Apr. 11, 2024) Chain-of-title — research by Pam Cawood Rizzo (May 29, 2025) MLS listing record — Bright MLS “Agent Full” listing history and sale record for 1421 Baltimore Pike (MLS #1000377531) IRS records — IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search records and Form 990-N filings for “Friends of Painters Folly” (EIN 84-3150305), and its Sept. 27, 2019 IRS determination letter

Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance October 2026 Newsletter Auction update: Painter's Folly goes to auction October 22 Chadds Ford Township will sell Painter's Folly at a live, on-site auction with simulcast online bidding on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 11:00 AM. Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co. is running the sale at the house itself, 1421 Baltimore Pike. The offering is the c. 1856–57 Italianate house of roughly 6,970 square feet on about 3.68 acres, sold "as is" and subject to the Township's confirmation. The Township bought the property from the Sipala family in 2018 to preserve it and its open space. An earlier Zillow listing notes sixteen original fireplaces, original random-width pine floors, and the glass-enclosed cupola Wyeth painted again and again; Zillow's automated estimate is about $1.23 million, though the auction will set the real price. Public preview: Thursday, October 1, 3–5 PM Public preview: Saturday, October 10, 12–2 PM (the Township also lists an October 15 preview; confirm the time with Max Spann) Bidder deposit ($20,000) due: Wednesday, October 21, by 5 PM Live auction + online bidding: Thursday, October 22, 11 AM Closing: Within 45 days of the signed contract The winning bidder pays a 10% deposit on auction day and a 10% buyer's premium on top of the bid. The Township also wants the house to work as a bed-and-breakfast, long one of the most popular ideas for its future. A proposed ordinance would move the parcel from the Municipal Conservation district to R-1 and let National Register–listed properties host a B&B on two acres instead of four. The public hearing on that change is set for Wednesday, October 14, a week before the auction. The Alliance's hope is simple: a buyer who will steward the house as carefully as the Sipalas and the Township have. If you know someone who loves old houses, please send them the auction listing and the property information package. For questions, contact Max Spann at 888-299-1438. Conservation and façade easements: protected for good Both easements are final and on the public record. Chadds Ford Township granted the conservation easement to the North American Land Trust (NALT) on September 9, 2026; NALT signed on September 14, and the easement was recorded with the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds on September 16, 2026 (Instrument No. 2026036501, Book 7161, Page 2067). It is perpetual and binds every future owner, whether or not their deed mentions it. A companion Declaration of Conservation and Façade Easement protecting the house itself was recorded one second earlier (Instrument No. 2026036500, Book 7161, Page 2049). The easement covers 3.296 acres, the whole lot outside the Baltimore Pike right-of-way, divided into three zones: Highest Protection (0.841 acres), the front lawn toward Baltimore Pike: No buildings; fences up to 5 ft, small signs, trails and native planting, with drives or utilities only after NALT review. Standard Protection (1.201 acres), behind the house and between the house and the front lawn: Limited site improvements; impervious surface capped at 20%, height at 40 ft. Minimal Protection (1.254 acres), the house, carriage house and driveway: Residential use and, with NALT approval, ADA accessibility improvements. Key terms of the recorded deed: No subdivision. The lot cannot be divided, sold off in pieces, or used to transfer development rights elsewhere. Protected views. Scenic views from U.S. Route 1 and Brandywine Battlefield Park are protected, and nothing may rise above the roofline in a way that breaks the cupola's silhouette from those vantage points. Limits on housing. The house may hold no more than two dwelling units, and only one building may contain housing. The carriage house may be repurposed but cannot be rebuilt if torn down. Uses that honor the house's history. Artist residencies, exhibitions, public events, public cultural and educational uses, and an owner-occupied bed-and-breakfast are expressly permitted. Short-term rentals of under 30 days outside the B&B are prohibited. A historical marker. The owner may install a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker, which needs only notice to NALT, not its approval. Enforcement. NALT can inspect the property, must review many changes in advance, and can require a violation to be cured within 30 days, seek a court order, or collect damages. Future sales. The owner must tell NALT who the buyer is at least 30 days before any sale, and each future sale owes NALT a transfer payment of 1% of the price. Sales involving the Township, including this October's auction, are exempt. The façade easement protects the historic house, which the deed calls the "Protected Structure": the building "and all fixtures and architectural elements thereof." Its key terms: Three protected sides. The front (facing Route 1) and the east and west sides are designated "Protected Façades." Any change to their materials, pattern or color is allowed only if a registered architect finds it reasonably necessary and period-appropriate under the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, and NALT approves. Cupola and porch. The cupola and wraparound porch may not be modified, added to or removed, except as recommended in the December 2021 Preservation Plan for Painter's Folly. Additions only at the rear. Any addition or structural change must be made to, or extend from, the rear (north) side, the only side that is not a Protected Façade. NALT approval for changes. Any alteration to the house needs NALT's prior written consent, based on a plan prepared or reviewed by a Pennsylvania architect experienced in historic preservation; NALT must decide within 45 days. Routine maintenance, such as repainting in the same color, patching stucco, or replacing a single eave bracket, needs no approval. Emergencies. Temporary emergency repairs after a fire, storm, or other danger may be made without prior notice, as long as NALT is informed within 14 days. No demolition by neglect. The owner must keep the house in good, well-kept condition. Deferring maintenance in a way that amounts to demolition by neglect is prohibited. Insurance and casualty. The owner must insure the house for its full replacement cost. If it is damaged, the owner must stabilize and restore it. The owner may demolish it only if insurance covers less than 75% of restoration costs, the owner has sought other funding in good faith for at least three years, and NALT consents. Inspection and enforcement. NALT may inspect the house at least once a year with five days' notice, or without notice if it suspects a violation. It can go to court to force restoration, and its enforcement costs become a lien on the property. Open view to Route 1. The deed recognizes the area between the house and Route 1 as an important scenic and historic benefit to the public, and no new construction may break the cupola's silhouette as seen from Route 1 or Brandywine Battlefield Park. Furniture and interiors: not covered by the easements The new easements protect the outside of the house and the land; they do not address the interior or its furnishings. The Board confirmed this at its August 12 meeting, where NALT and the Township explained that the façade easement covers the three publicly visible elevations, including the wraparound porch and cupola, and allows limited changes to the rear. This matters because the furnishings are part of the story. Andrew Wyeth painted the Sipalas and their home for years, and the Township's 2019 history of the property says pieces seen in his work, such as the marriage bed from "Marriage," remain in the house. Ed Worteck and other residents asked about protecting the interior and furnishings at that meeting; under the final easements, they remain outside the protections. We also note with sadness the passing of Helen Sipala. The Board honored her memory at its July 22 meeting for her lifelong devotion to local history and preservation. Much of what makes Painter's Folly special inside its walls exists because she and George cared for it for more than 40 years. Emma Leuschner presents Painter's Folly to the Pennsylvania Historical Association Emma Leuschner will present "Painter's Folly: A Catalyst for Revolutionary Memory and American Art" at the Pennsylvania Historical Association's annual meeting on Saturday, October 24, 2026, 9:00–10:15 AM, in Bethlehem. Her paper opens Session 13, "Pennsylvania and the Arts," chaired by Brian Alnutt of Northampton Community College. This year's conference theme is "Revolutionary Legacies in the Mid-Atlantic," and it runs October 22–24. How you can help Visit the house at a public preview on October 1 or October 10, and bring a friend who should see it. Share the listing with anyone who might buy and care for a historic home: Max Spann auction page. Come to Bethlehem on October 24 to support Emma's talk. Stay involved by attending the October 14 zoning hearing on bed-and-breakfast use, following updates on the Township's Painter's Folly page, and attending Board of Supervisors meetings. Thank you for standing with Painter's Folly. Whatever happens on October 22, the house's exterior and its land are now protected for good, and the work of telling its story goes on. With gratitude, The Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance Sources Max Spann auction listing Property information package Chadds Ford Township: Painter's Folly Zillow: 1421 Baltimore Pike PHA 2026 program and draft schedule Board of Supervisors minutes, August 12, 2026 and July 22, 2026 Chadds Ford Live: Board makes changes for Painter's Folly (Sept. 10, 2026) Chadds Ford Township: Painter's Folly offered for public sale (Sept. 11, 2026) Grant of Conservation Easement and Declaration of Covenants, Chadds Ford Township to North American Land Trust, recorded September 16, 2026, Delaware County Recorder of Deeds, Instrument No. 2026036501 Declaration of Conservation and Façade Easement, Chadds Ford Township and North American Land Trust, recorded September 16, 2026, Delaware County Recorder of Deeds, Instrument No. 2026036500

On August 12, 2026, the Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the public auction of Painter's Folly. The sale is tentatively scheduled for October/November 2026 through Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Company, with proceeds directed to the Township's Open Space Fund — the same fund used to purchase the property in 2018. The Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance acknowledges the Board's expressed purpose to safeguard the property via conservation easements held by the North American Land Trust, which encompass the land and three building facades. As of this statement, those easements have not been finalized. The Township also contemplated a separate interior easement to be held by the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, but the prospect was ultimately rejected due to concerns about two separate organizations overseeing different aspects of the same property. We are troubled that the Chadds Ford Township Open Space Committee — the entity most directly associated with the fund designated to receive the sale proceeds — was not notified of this agreement before it was presented on the Board's public agenda. A decision of this significance regarding a property acquired for open-space purposes deserves full transparency and an opportunity for input from the committees and residents who have diligently stewarded it. Before the auction proceeds, we believe the public is owed clear answers to the following: • Will the final easement documents be published and made available to prospective bidders and the public before the sale? • Will residents have a genuine opportunity to comment on the scope of those easements before they are finalized? • What will happen to the antiques and furnishings that remain in the house, including pieces with direct historical significance to the property? • Now that the property is being transferred to private ownership, responsibility for funding installation of the pending PHMC State Historical Marker will fall to the new owner. Will this be communicated to prospective bidders? • Has the Township withdrawn its $720,000 Local Share Account grant application for exterior deferred maintenance, which was submitted in January 2026, with awards expected this September? • Has the Township withdrawn its 2023 PHMC Keystone grant of $100,000 for ADA compliance improvements, extended in September 2025? These funds, once awarded, are earmarked specifically for Painter's Folly and cannot be redirected to another project — meaning $100,000 in state preservation funding sat unused and unavailable to other organizations for three years. Painter's Folly was purchased with public funds allocated for open space, conservation, and passive recreation use. We urge the Board of Supervisors to finalize and publicly release all easement terms, formally engage the Open Space Committee, and answer these outstanding questions well in advance of the anticipated October/November sale date. We will continue to monitor this process and share updates as they become available. Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance

Below is a letter petition intended for the Chadds Ford Board of Supervisors. If you are compelled, please add your name to the formal petition at https://www.change.org/preservepaintersfolly Painter’s Folly is a c. 1856-1857 Italianate house located in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Painter’s Folly is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is within the Chadds Ford Historic District and the Brandywine Battlefield Historic District. Painter’s Folly is nationally significant for its connection to American art and the artistic interpretation of the Battle of the Brandywine. Famed American illustrator Howard Pyle operated a summer art school from 1898 to 1903 while residing at Painter’s Folly. Students of Pyle’s included John V. Betts, Ethel Franklin Betts, Bertha Corson Day, Clyde O. DeLand, Harvey Dunn, Charlotte Harding, Winfield S. Lukens, Emlen McConnell, Maxfield Parrish, Frank C. Schoonover, Jessie Willcox Smith, Sarah Stilwell Weber, and, famously, Newell Convers Wyeth. Painter’s Folly was later used as an art studio and refuge by Andrew Wyeth, beginning in 1989, and was the subject of multiple titled and untitled works by Wyeth. Many state and national organizations recognized the importance of Painter’s Folly in letters of support, including the Brandywine Conservancy, Daughters of the American Revolution, Eastern Pennsylvania Preservation Society, and the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. Outside of national recognition, Chadds Ford residents cherish Painter’s Folly as a touchstone of Chadds Ford identity. Painter’s Folly was purchased by Chadds Ford Township in 2018. We congratulate Chadds Ford Township on its preservation efforts to ensure that Painter’s Folly remains publicly accessible and is maintained as an essential heritage site in our community Chadds Ford Township has partnered with numerous historical and preservation organizations, including the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, to explore potential ongoing preservation efforts for the building. Painter’s Folly, as a publicly accessible, preserved historic site, is a win-win for our community. Delaware County has many examples of successful, positive historic site co-stewardships, including the Grange Estate, the Lazaretto, and the Willows. In the case that Chadds Ford Township decides to offload Painter’s Folly, there are several options under the Second-Class Township Code, including sealed bidding, a public auction, and a conveyance or letting agreement with applicable entities, which all warrant thorough investigation. Historic preservation easements for the interior and exterior are advisable for all these options to ensure the long-term preservation of the land and building. The contents of the building’s interior, many of which belonged to the Sipalas, must be retained and preserved within Painter’s Folly. Chadds Ford Township should allocate sufficient time to investigate all possibilities. Preservation planning projects take time, and oftentimes new opportunities arise during that process. We encourage Chadds Ford Township to share a sense of a timeline, request that ample time be given to explore preservation partnerships, and provide regular, two-way updates to the community. The proposed next steps are: Chadds Ford Township will provide updates to the community at every Board of Supervisors meeting, including comments from the public and updates on investigations into co-stewardship and other forms of preservation partnerships. Chadds Ford Township to publish a Request for Proposals for the adaptive reuse of Painter’s Folly and create a Review Board of Township staff and expert members of the public to examine all proposals. Chadds Ford Township to update the public at Board of Supervisors meetings on all officially submitted adaptive reuse proposals. Chadds Ford Township to provide a clear scope of potential conservation and land easements for Painter’s Folly. Chadds Ford Township to provide building access to the Painter’s Folly Liaison Professor Edward Worteck to ensure continued documentation of the building through professional preservation photography. Chadds Ford Township to provide an anticipated timeline for the potential disposal of Painter’s Folly. We ask that Chadds Ford Township not make a hasty decision and continue its investigation into the numerous preservation-oriented avenues for Painter’s Folly. The preservation community is willing and able to assist Chadds Ford Township in any way possible and is offering to join forces and relieve the burden of township employees. We look forward to hearing from Chadds Ford Township and to the bright future of Painter’s Folly!

Andrew Wyeth remains one of the most celebrated American painters of the twentieth century, yet the individuals who modeled for him and who knew him in Chadds Ford and along the Maine coast have rarely had the chance to share their own accounts. The Wyeth Interview Project aims to change that — conducting oral history interviews with those models, friends, and associates to capture their firsthand knowledge and experiences. We've identified numerous potential interview subjects across Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maine. Their recollections promise to enrich our understanding of Wyeth's creative process, challenge the narrative of the "solitary genius," and — importantly — restore the voices of the female models whose presence shaped so much of his most iconic work but whose own stories have gone largely untold. The project follows ethical oral-history best practices, including informed consent and subject review of transcripts, and anticipates roughly three years from launch to reaching both scholarly and general audiences through an archived collection and public-facing publication. We're actively seeking an institutional partner — a museum, university library, or historical society with existing Wyeth holdings — to help preserve this archive for future generations. If that's you, or someone you know, we'd love to talk. If you — or a parent, grandparent, neighbor, or old family friend — modeled for Andrew Wyeth, worked alongside him, or simply knew him as a familiar face around Chadds Ford or the Maine coast, we want to hear from you. We'd love the chance to capture those firsthand memories and add them to the historical record. If this describes you or someone close to you, please reach out — we'd be glad to answer questions about the process and what participating involves. Reach out to us at info@paintersfollypreservationalliance.com to discuss.

In June 2026, PFPA acquired a collection of 900 Atwater-Cleveland family photographs, spanning from the 1840s to the 1960s. Many were taken at Painter's Folly and offer a rare window into the Chadds Ford landscape at the turn of the twentieth century. We're currently digitizing the collection before donating it to a permanent archive. The Cleveland-Atwater era was one of the most transformative chapters in Painter's Folly's history. Dr. Arthur Cleveland, a laryngologist on staff at Presbyterian Hospital and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, became owner of Painter's Folly and its 500 surrounding acres in 1903. A former ward of Joseph and Eliza Turner of Chadds Ford, he also served as President of the Birmingham Township Board of Supervisors. Together with his father-in-law, Richard Mead Atwater, Dr. Cleveland ran Lafayette Dairies — one of only two local dairies selling milk in glass bottles. By 1906, Richard Atwater had moved into Painter's Folly himself, while the Clevelands relocated to the neighboring Gideon Gilpin House. The Atwaters purchased the home and 47 acres outright in 1908. Richard Atwater — a glass manufacturing magnate and former mayor of Sea Isle City, NJ — became a local authority on the Battle of the Brandywine, regularly lecturing on Revolutionary War troop movements. (His wife, Sophia Greene Atwater, was a descendant of General Nathaniel Greene, Washington's second-in-command at the battle.) In the decades that followed, the Cleveland-Atwater family's holdings — including Washington's Headquarters, Lafayette's Headquarters, Painter's Folly, Wyndryst, Turner's Mill, and Red Barn Farm (Kuerner Farm) — placed the family at the center of the very debates that led to the creation of today's Brandywine Battlefield Park, formally established with the Brandywine Battlefield Bill of 1947. Richard Mead Atwater died at Painter's Folly in 1922. The property remained in the family until 1953, when it was sold to John and Mary Fisher, closing a fifty-year chapter in which the Clevelands and Atwaters helped shape the agricultural and historic identity of Chadds Ford and the Brandywine Valley.

Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance August 2026 Newsletter In Memoriam: Helen Murray Sipala It is with great sadness that the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance announces the death of Helen Sipala, who passed away on the morning of July 21, 2026, at the age of 91. Helen helped revitalize and restore Painter's Folly as an important center for American art. Her stewardship allowed visitors to understand why Howard Pyle used the house as a center for his school of art, and why Andrew Wyeth made Painter's Folly, Helen, and George Sipala the subjects of many of his most important works in the last decades of his life. Helen transformed the house into a salon for visiting artists and dignitaries. Her passion and skill for gardening reshaped the landscape of Painter's Folly, framing the building with beauty and elegance throughout every season. Her tours educated the public on the history of Chadds Ford and the Brandywine School of Art. In the last years of her life, she worked closely with the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance to record her experiences and help preserve the history and legacy of this remarkable place in our national heritage. She was more than a valued partner in our ongoing efforts — Helen Sipala was a wonderful friend and mentor. We will continue to work tirelessly to preserve her legacy and celebrate her remarkable life. Thank you, Helen. © Ed Worteck, 2026 Further Reading: Helen Sipala's Legacy Helen Murray Sipala owned and restored Painter's Folly from 1974 to 2018, and her decades-long friendship with Andrew Wyeth is central to the house's story. For readers who want to go deeper, we've pulled together several ways to explore her legacy: Start with her oral history — three recorded interview sessions conducted by historian Thomas Wood, now held in perpetuity at the University of Kentucky's Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Sipala also told her own story in two books, Beyond the Marriage Bed and Buttercups & Gratitude, both featured in our roundup of books and essays highlighting Painter's Folly. For the fuller context of the house she called home, read Painter's Folly: A Narrative History. Sipala's contributions were formally recognized this spring, when she received the A. Richard Paul Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Delaware County Preservation Awards for her decades of stewardship. And our research and documentation efforts page details how her 445-page diary and photo/document albums were accessioned into the Delaware Art Museum archive, ensuring these primary sources remain accessible for future scholars. Together, these resources capture why Helen Sipala's legacy is inseparable from Painter's Folly's own. Support Painter's Folly with a Financial Gift Did you know you can make a direct financial donation toward the care and maintenance of Painter's Folly? Under the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code, Chadds Ford Township has the legal authority to accept monetary gifts earmarked for historic landmarks like Painter's Folly (53 P.S. §§ 66503, 66541) — and to keep those funds separate from the general budget, restricted solely for the property's preservation. Here's how it works: when a donation is offered, the Board of Supervisors must vote in a public meeting to formally accept it through a Board Resolution. That resolution legally directs your gift into a restricted line-item account earmarked exclusively for Painter's Folly — meaning your donation can't be redirected to other township expenses. The Board does retain discretion over whether to accept a given gift, particularly if it comes with restrictions the township can't administer. If you'd like to contribute, we encourage you to reach out to Chadds Ford Township directly to discuss making a gift for Painter's Folly's preservation. Every donation helps build the case — and the resources — for a long-term future for this landmark. *This information is provided for general awareness and is not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Anyone considering a donation should consult Chadds Ford Township directly or their own legal counsel with questions about the process. Painter's Folly featured on CIRCA Old Houses and more Painter's Folly has been listed on CIRCA Old Houses, a widely followed marketplace and editorial site for historic homes that reaches over 2 million page views a month. The listing tells the story of our circa-1857 Italianate villa — from Howard Pyle's summer art school to Andrew Wyeth's decades as a studio here — and underscores our search for a mission-aligned nonprofit, museum, or educational partner to steward the property long-term. This is a meaningful boost in visibility at a critical moment for our advocacy! Read the full listing and share it with anyone who might know an institution ready to take on this landmark. Chadds Ford Live, DELCO.Today and VISTA.Today all report that the Alliance is looking for an established nonprofit, government agency, school, or other institution willing to take ownership of the circa-1856 Italianate landmark and keep it open to the public. Chadds Ford Township, which has owned the property since 2018, had begun weighing a public auction before the Alliance formed in 2025 to press for a preservation-minded outcome instead. Painter's Folly on view at Brandywine Museum of Art Want to see Painter's Folly as Andrew Wyeth saw it? Head to the Andrew Wyeth gallery at the Brandywine Museum of Art, where you can view several key paintings inspired by the house: Painter's Folly (1989), April (1992), and Renfield Study (1995). Each work captures a different facet of the landmark that served as Wyeth's studio for nearly twenty years — a reminder of just how deeply this house is woven into the story of American art. © Ed Worteck, 2026 The Wyeth Interview Project: Preserving the Stories Behind the Canvas Andrew Wyeth remains one of the most celebrated American painters of the twentieth century, yet the individuals who modeled for him, and who knew him in Chadds Ford and along the Maine coast, have rarely had the chance to share their own accounts. The Wyeth Interview Project aims to change that — conducting oral history interviews with those models, friends, and associates to capture their firsthand knowledge and experiences. We've identified numerous potential interview subjects across Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maine. Their recollections promise to enrich our understanding of Wyeth's creative process, challenge the narrative of the "solitary genius," and — importantly — restore the voices of the female models whose presence shaped so much of his most iconic work but whose own stories have gone largely untold. The project follows ethical oral-history best practices, including informed consent and subject review of transcripts, and anticipates roughly three years from launch to reaching both scholarly and general audiences through an archived collection and public-facing publication. We're actively seeking an institutional partner — a museum, university library, or historical society with existing Wyeth holdings — to help preserve this archive for future generations. If that's you, or someone you know, we'd love to talk. If you — or a parent, grandparent, neighbor, or old family friend — modeled for Andrew Wyeth, worked alongside him, or simply knew him as a familiar face around Chadds Ford or the Maine coast, we want to hear from you. We'd love the chance to capture those firsthand memories and add them to the historical record. If this describes you or someone close to you, please reach out — we'd be glad to answer questions about the process and what participating involves. Reach out to us at info@paintersfollypreservationalliance.com to discuss. Preservation Partners: we want you! In response to strong public interest, the Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance reaffirms its commitment to securing a long-term preservation partner for Painter’s Folly. We recognize concerns about taxpayer cost, public programming, and accessibility—and we believe there is a sustainable path forward. Under the Second Class Township Code, Chadds Ford Township may convey or lease the property directly to an eligible nonprofit, school, institutional district, or the Commonwealth, rather than pursue a public auction. Across Delaware County, eighteen municipally owned historic sites operate successfully through similar co-stewardship models with nonprofit partners. We invite qualified preservation partners to explore the available resources and join us in ensuring that this landmark remains protected, accessible, and vibrant for generations to come. Recent Updates PFPA in The Mensa Bulletin PFPA Co-Founder to Present at the Pennsylvania Historical Association Conference Painter's Folly named to the 2026 Pennsylvania At-Risk List A Remarkable Discovery: The Atwater-Cleveland Photographs

Helen Murray Sipala. © Ed Worteck It is with great sadness that the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance announces the death of Helen Sipala, who passed away on the morning of July 21, 2026, at the age of 91. Helen helped revitalize and restore Painter's Folly as an important center for American art. Her stewardship allowed visitors to understand why Howard Pyle used the house as a center for his school of art, and why Andrew Wyeth made Painter's Folly, Helen, and George Sipala the subjects of many of his most important works in the last decades of his life. Helen transformed the house into a salon for visiting artists and dignitaries. Her passion and skill for gardening reshaped the landscape of Painter's Folly, framing the building with beauty and elegance throughout every season. Her tours educated the public on the history of Chadds Ford and the Brandywine School of Art. In the last years of her life, she worked closely with the Painter's Folly Preservation Alliance to record her experiences and help preserve the history and legacy of this remarkable place in our national heritage. She was more than a valued partner in our ongoing efforts — Helen Sipala was a wonderful friend and mentor. We will continue to work tirelessly to preserve her legacy and celebrate her remarkable life. Thank you, Helen.

Painter's Folly Conservation Easements Move Forward On 11 February 2026, the Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors voted to enter into an agreement of services with the North American Land Trust for easements related to Painter’s Folly after receiving an earlier proposal from the organization. Who is NALT? As per their website, NALT’s primary purpose is “preserving and managing open space with ecological, agricultural or historical significance.” NALT is based in Chadds Ford, and its local conservation projects include the Brinton Run Preserve and the Joseph Davis Tract. NALT is a leading expert in land conservation in our community. The CFT Board of Supervisors did not share the details of the proposal’s scope, but stated that the easements would cover the land and portions of the building’s facade visible from Route 1. As previously published, CFT budgeted $50,000 of Open Space funds for these easements. However, the CFT Township Manager Lacey Faber reported at the 28 January 2026 Board of Supervisors meeting that the Township is now pursuing a grant to cover the cost of the NALT easements. The timeline and details for this grant have not been made public at this time. While land and facade easements are a wonderful path forward for the ongoing preservation of Painter’s Folly, they are limited and do not address the interior of the building and all exterior facades — a recommendation made by the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance. PFPA in the News Jen Panaro of Connect Chadds Ford published the first installation of a four-part series on issues related to Painter’s Folly on 24 February 2026. The article, “Meet the neighbors making sure we don’t forget Painter’s Folly,” covers recent work by the Painter’s Folly Preservation Alliance. Stay tuned for the three other articles! PFPA Updates PFPA has been hard at work researching various histories related to Painter’s Folly. We have consulted critical primary sources at the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware County archive, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and the Westtown School archive that establish the significance of the Painter family in Chadds Ford and Howard Pyle's Chadds Ford summer school. We are compiling research into a long-form essay for publication. More information soon! We also discovered that Turner’s Mill, the current Chadds Ford Municipal Building and former Howard Pyle studio, was purchased by Birmingham Township in 1976 with the intention of creating an art center or public space. However, these plans never materialized, and the building remained empty until 2006. History seems to repeat itself! For now, enjoy a selection of artwork made at Painter's Folly and the surrounding landscape: Arnold Tells His Wife of the Discovery of His Treason (1898) by Howard Pyle Lafayette's Headquarters (1898) by Angel De Cora Home from the War (1898) by Frank E. Schoonover Drummer Boy (1899) by Frank E. Schoonover The Flying Dutchman (1900) by Howard Pyle In The Valley of Shadows (1902) by Howard Pyle Inauguration of Washington at New York (1902) by Howard Pyle The Nation Makers (1902) by Howard Pyle Painter's Folly (1989) by Andrew Wyeth Widow's Walk (1990) by Andrew Wyeth Traveling Alone (1992) by Andrew Wyeth Renfield (1999) by Andrew Wyeth Renfield (2011) by James Welling