Grumblethorpe

A house, a farm, a garden...

A month ago I began learning more about Grumblethorpe - a place I have known a little for several years. The fabric of Philadelphia is woven with all these little golden places here and there. Germantown feels like a swatch of richly embroidered fabric that has shown its age but is easily recognized for what it has to offer, once you get a chance to see it and feel it. I am now working with the team at the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks to build new relationships at Grumblethorpe, and strengthen the mission there, to help it grown and become more sustainable.

Grumblethorpe has good bones - the house, the gardens, the farm, and its trees. I think Grumblethorpe has good spiritual bones too. It is a place that has been good for people. So far, that’s the most important thing about it. The place is good for people; the dirt is good; things grow there.

One of the programs at Grumblethorpe is a youth-run farm stand that operates in the summer months. The video below is from pre-pandemic days, when everything seemed a little easier. But even if it is a few years old, it’s telling a story I’m glad to be a part of. I’m happy to share it with you. And I hope that you’ll come and visit us soon at Grumblethorpe. Within the next week the wisteria will be blooming there - you should come and see it! Let me know, and I’ll meet you there to show you!