The Atsion Mansion, Then & Now

[Teegate]

All,

I have acquired a slide that was taken right after the state purchased Wharton. It shows the Atsion Mansion from what today is the parking area. As history tells us Joseph Wharton failed to make repairs at Atsion unlike Batsto, and this photo pretty much proves that again. I am pretty confident this is a personal slide taken by an individual, and not one that was used for promotion. That is not a photo the state would want to promote as it is somewhat dark. I played with it to lighten it up.

Atsion Mansion just after the state purchased it and today 9/8/2012

The slide.

Guy

 

[Don Catts]

Guy,
Now that’s a ghost mansion. Instant love, it’s my new favorite photo of the mansion.

Here is a couple of in between shots.

Happy Halloween, Don

 

[Boyd]

Very cool Guy. I like the way it looked back then better than the way it looks now.

 

[dogg57]

Guy What year is the first Photo? Thanks for sharing these

 

[Teegate]

I don't know the exact year. However, from the sign it is obvious to me it is after the state purchased it. I suspect that not long after purchasing they mowed the place so it has to be sometime after 1954 when they first started buying. The person I got it from gave me a 1955-1959 timline so maybe they may know more than they are telling. I will write them and ask.

Guy

 

[Gibby]

That is a great photo and I agree with Boyd's statement that the decaying mansion is more appealing than its current form. Interesting to see the two smaller wood structures too.

Wishful, I also took a close look at the background hoping to see a glimpse of the mill through the trees.

 

[Ben Ruset]

I don't know, I'm happy to see the mansion stabilized in its current condition. I think there's a chance that it'll be around for another hundred years, provided nobody vandalizes it.

 

[Pine Baron]

I don't know, I'm happy to see the mansion stabilized in its current condition. I think there's a chance that it'll be around for another hundred years, provided nobody vandalizes it.

Agreed.

 

[Kevinhooa]

What a cool photo! Thanks for sharing Guy.

 

[Teegate]

Glad you all enjoyed it.

Guy

 

[NMuscella]

Might be a little late to the conversation haha, but it appears this photo shows the wooden frame building off to the left to be the old icehouse for the Mansion and General Store. The overgrowth in front of the mansion are what remains of the English Garden from the Richards Era.

The garden was described in 1894 "About the mansion was a great garden, where fruit and vegetables grew as by magic to supply his (Samuel Richards) table, and cattle and pigs had their appointed times to grow fat for the slaughter."

There is a contemporary source that Samuel Richards would grow cabbages in this garden to feed his hefty appetite for sauerkraut!

 

[Ben Ruset]

This makes me hungry for sauerkraut now.

 

[NMuscella]

This would actually be a good example of what the Atsion Mansion garden would have looked like in the 1830s.

When I went up to research the Samuel Richards papers, I learned that Richards hired a gardener to tend to his Philadelphia garden and Atsion garden.

 

[bobpbx]

I like sauerkraut. I take a small rack of pork ribs and add sauerkraut in the slow-cooker with just salt and pepper. Damn, is that good! There is a woman I know who cooks it with brown sugar and onions and serves it on hot dogs. Wow!