The Woodcrest Estate Mansion on the campus of Cabrini College routinely makes the top ten list for the most haunted colleges in America. It makes sense for some to be able to disregard these stories completely. For many, it isn’t until they find themselves alone at night walking behind the Woodcrest mansion or in their room that they begin to question the possibility of ghosts on campus. From the first night of orientation students are told the tales of happenings of long ago in the very buildings where they live, learn and visit every day. Some people choose not to believe the legends, passing it off as only that, a legend. Others know from experience that unexplainable things are known to take place every so often right here on campus. Are there footsteps from beyond at Cabrini’s Woodcrest Mansion?
Wayne resident Martha Dale will be at the historic Duportail House in Chesterbrook on Wednesday, May 26 as guest speaker of Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust’s Spring Lecture Series. Speaking on the history of the Woodcrest Estate, Mrs. Dale’s background includes serving as alumni director at Cabrini College for over 25 years and as coordinator of historical projects during the College’s 50th Anniversary celebration, 2007-08. Mrs. Dale spearheaded an alumni effort to learn more about the history of the former Woodcrest Estate Mansion, the centerpiece of the Cabrini College campus and a landmark on the Philadelphia Main Line. Mrs. Dale was instrumental in having the Mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. A reception will begin at 7 PM followed by lecture at 7:30 PM. Lecture admission is $15 and all proceeds go toward Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust’s rebuilding effort of the Jones Log Barn at the DuPortail House location.
Mrs. Dale will lecture on the history of the Woodcrest Estate, which was built in 1901 by James W. Paul, a son-in-law of financier and philanthropist Anthony J. Drexel, and designed by architect Horace Trumbauer. Mr. Paul’s heirs owned Woodcrest until 1925. In 1925, members of the Paul family sold the Mansion and 120 acres of the Woodcrest Estate to Dr. John T. Dorrance, of the Campbell’s Soup Company. Designed by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer and constructed more than 100 years ago, much of the 51-room mansion remains virtually unchanged. Much of the interior was restored to its original elegance for the College’s 50th anniversary. The architecture includes elements of 15th, 16th and 17th century English design and is primarily modeled after the Elizabethan (Tudor) style.
For more information or to make a reservation the lecture, contact Polly Hagan, 610. 647.1051 or info@tredyffrinhistory.org