Jennie Wade’s Purse
By Gene Pisasale
The 150th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War was recognized around the nation this past April, with hundreds of communities sharing lectures, speeches, artifacts and even some remembrances from those whose ancestors participated in the historic conflict. The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1st turning point in that war. Roughly 160,000 soldiers from Union and Confederate regiments gathered in the small crossroads town and participated in one of the seminal events in American history. Brutal fighting in places with colorful names like the Devil’s Den, Little Round Top and the Peach Orchard would in subsequent years be material for hundreds of books whose authors tried to decipher the reasons for the bloody conflict- and the many ways in which it changed America.
Chads’ Ford Barber Shop Sign
By Gene Pisasale
Most people walk or drive right by barber shop signs without thinking twice. Yet if you walk up the stairs of the Christian Sanderson Museum into the Pocopson Room, your eyes will quickly note a rustic gem produced just after the turn of the 20th century hanging on the right side wall. What captures the visitors’ attention is the “Chads’ Ford Barber Shop” sign painted by N.C. Wyeth, famous artist and illustrator.
Historyical Wyeth-Sanderson Map of Chester County
By Gene Pisasale
Standing tall on a wooden easel in the entryway of the Sanderson Museum is a framed map, its blue trim surrounding red, green and yellow highlights calling attention to the people, places and events which have made the 768 square miles of Chester County so special in the history of our country. Fifteen people and 45 places of interest are depicted, drawn by the artist Andrew Wyeth with historical references by Chris Sanderson.
Book from Benjamin Franklin’s Personal Library
By Gene Pisasale
One of the best known and loved of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin was a scientist, philosopher, diplomat, statesman- and a voracious reader. In short, he loved learning, exploring, widening his perspectives and gaining new insights by continually encountering new people, places and things. Chris Sanderson was in some ways the same kind of man. Chris enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life, learning from their experiences and saving pieces of Americana from his thousands of interactions over the more than eight decades of his life.
Names from the Centuries
By Gene Pisasale
Kids today love to get autographs from their favorite baseball players, sometimes standing in line for hours. Chris Sanderson made autographs a passion and collected hundreds over a period of decades from people who changed the course of history. Inventors, statesmen, Indian Chiefs, Presidents, Wild West horsemen- they’re all there on the wall in front of you after climbing the steps to the second floor of the Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa.
Troops by the Hundred Were Passing
By Gene Pisasale
N.C. Wyeth and Chris Sanderson were both born in the year 1882. Chester A. Arthur was President of the United States, having been sworn in after President Garfield succumbed to injuries related to his assassination. The South was undergoing Reconstruction, yet many people in the South still resented what they considered the “Battle of Northern Aggression” and the subsequent laws which changed their way of life. It would take several decades before the Southern states would regain a sense of normalcy and reach parity with their pre-Civil War status.
Herb Pennock Baseball
By Gene Pisasale
In the entryway of the Christian Sanderson Museum, a baseball sits in a case on a small wooden pedestal, red and blue stitching wrapped around some famous names of the Boys of Summer. The pedestal reads “Some of the autographs on this include: Connie Mack, Herb Pennock, Rube Walburg, Jimmy Foxx, Bing Miller.” Herb Pennock’s signature is the largest. Above Jimmy Foxx’s name is scrawled “June 12, 1939- 100th Anniversary of Baseball.” The ball was given to Chris Sanderson by Harry Scheidter of Chadds Ford on that date to commemorate the Centennial of the sport.
Wyeth Portrait of Christian Sanderson
By Gene Pisasale
The Brandywine Valley has become associated over the years with many famous artists, most notably Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth. Wyeth was later to become his best known student. When N.C. Wyeth set up his studio in Chadds Ford after the turn of the 20th century, he gained recognition for illustrating many popular novels, including “Treasure Island” and “Robinson Crusoe”. Wyeth’s home was not far from Washington’s Headquarters within what is now known as Brandywine Battlefield Park. Chris Sanderson and his mother lived in that house from 1906-1922 and became good friends with the Wyeth family.