Grumblethorpe Update

Dear Friends of Grumblethorpe,

As the weather finally begins to cool, the tomato plants at Grumblethorpe are still producing more tomatoes than I can cope with. The fig tree has slowed down its production, but it is not finished yet. Flowers are still blooming, and soon the ginkgo tree will put forth her fruit. At Grumblethorpe this harvest time, we are taking the opportunity to slow down and take a step back at a time usually dedicated to reaping, in order to spend time thinking more about what we should be sowing here in this wonderful, verdant, and lush bit of earth and its historic house.

While we continue to work with schools in our ongoing partnerships, we are dedicating time over the next six months or so to engage with our community and to ask our friends and neighbors to engage with us to address the question of how Grumblethorpe can be a better resource to our community.

What we know is this: Grumblethorpe is a place where things grow. Grumblethorpe is also a place where people grow—we have seen it in our youth-oriented programs for years. Grumblethorpe is a place of learning—from botany and horticulture to science and history, as well as learning about ourselves. And Grumblethorpe is a place of healing—it is a place where we can focus on wellness, and find gifts of healing that come from the environment around us, promoting healing in body, mind, and spirit. Grumblethorpe is a place of abundance, and people are fed here. Grumblethorpe is a historic place that is not stuck in the past; we want to make sure that this is a place making a difference in the future of this city and of our neighbors in Germantown.

We are initiating a series of Community Consultations, when we’re inviting people to talk to us, to tell us how you think Grumblethorpe can be a better resource in this community. How can we be more open? How can we make sure more people have more access? What should people find here if you come looking for something? We want to spend time listening.

The first of these Community Consultations will be held as we celebrate the completion of our capital preservation project, on Saturday, October 18 at 12 p.m. The project celebration will follow at 1 p.m., and there will be pretzels and cider for all, as the gardens and house are open.

We are currently consulting with horticulturists, including important and valuable consultations with horticulturists from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, about undertaking a major clean-up and cut-back of overgrown plant material, including trees and overgrown beds.

At the same time, I am working to convene an advisory committee to work with me and the leadership at PhilaLandmarks to engage in some strategic planning about the future programming at Grumblethorpe, building on the long-standing focus on education and youth, and asking how we can make a bigger social impact in our neighborhood.

It takes planning to maximize yield in a garden or on a farm, and we are taking this time to do some planning, knowing that as we sow, so shall we reap, with a view to maximize the yield on this fertile plot of land.

Please join us on Saturday, October 18 at 12 p.m. for the Community Consultation, and at 1 p.m. for the celebration of the completion of the preservation project. And please continue to be a part of this conversation as we dream about what we can sow in this place to accomplish a rich and life-giving harvest.

Sincerely,
Sean Mullen