While by definition our land conservation commitment is long term, Heritage Conservancy also takes the long view on historic preservation. An upcoming project in Montgomery County, is a good example of the long-term planning we do.
In Plymouth Meeting, Heritage Conservancy is in the process of accepting assignment to serve as the administrator of a perpetual covenant that preserves and protects the historic structures located on the historic Dickinson Farmstead property. We will take on the responsibility formally in 2033.
“We are excited to be part of this project after the Plymouth Meeting Historical Society has devoted many years to preserving it,” says Mary Lou McFarland, Heritage Conservancy Senior Preservation Specialist, who has been working on the project for years. “Our support will be instrumental in protecting its historic resources far into the future.”
Dickinson Farmstead is located in the Plymouth Meeting Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property holds a wealth of local history and structures that tell its story.
Built by Quaker settlers around 1754, the Dickinson House is one of the oldest surviving houses in Plymouth Meeting and is a great example of a family home of this period. The Dickinsons were one of the oldest families in Plymouth Meeting, and this house was constructed for the marriage of Hannah Wright and Joseph Dickinson.
The Plymouth Meeting Historical Society intervened to protect it in the 1960s, when plans for construction of the Blue Route threatened Dickinson House and the historic village of Plymouth Meeting. The highway project was rerouted.
The Albertson House (c 1810) was built as a tenant farmhouse on the farmstead and is another significant, well preserved structure on the property. It was built as enlarged at the turn of the century to accommodate a growing family.\
The Dickinson Farmstead was owned by the Albertsons from its 1800 purchase by Jacob Albertson through the 1940 death of Alice Alberson Price.
The covenant Heritage Conservancy oversees preserves and protects these houses along with other historic structures on the 6.31-acre property. This includes a carriage house, a stone barn, a smokehouse/privy, the ruins of an icehouse, and three stone walls.
The site can be traced back to 1685, when it was granted by William Penn to Francis Rawle. It eventually came into the hands of the Dickinson family in 1716.
The Albertson sisters are photographed here, circa 1894. Alice Albertson (right) went on to marry Charles Coal Price.
In 1971, the Plymouth Meeting Historic District, which contains the Dickinson Farmstead, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and both the houses and supporting outbuildings were listed as contributing resources to the historic district.
In 1979, the Plymouth Meeting Historical Society was granted care of the property until they were finally able to purchase it in 1997.
Since then, the property has passed to private hands, while the historic preservation covenant continues to protect it. Heritage Conservancy is set to become the holder of the covenant in 2033, and the assignment could be finalized as early as this month. We will take on the responsibility of monitoring the property regularly, to ensure that it is protected for the future.
“It is an exciting project,” says Heritage Conservancy Conservation Acquisition Specialist Tara Camp, who worked on the project. “This is a significant historical site in Montgomery County and a local gem for the community.”
This partnership is particularly significant, as Heritage Conservancy is one of only two remaining preservation organizations, alongside the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, that manages historic preservation throughout Montgomery County.
All historic photos in this article are courtesy of the Plymouth Meeting Historical Society.
