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Tag: penrose-strawbridge house

Margaret Choate

Margaret Choate Margaret Ellen (Hinton) Choate died on April 5, 2017 in Horsham, Pa. at the age of 69. She and her husband, Peter Choate, founded the Horsham Preservation and Historical Society in 1997. In 2002 they both retired to work full time for this organization. Margaret was born in Philadelphia to Elsie and William Hinton. She grew up in Southampton, PA and graduated from William Tennant High school. Margaret worked in banking for 25 years for First Pennsylvania/CoreStates Bank, retiring in 1994 from the Horsham branch as Manager and Assistant Vice President. Margaret had a love...

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Peter Choate

Peter Choate We are extremely sad to report the passing of our dear friend Peter Choate. Pete was the cofounder and long-time leader of our organization. He passed away peacefully January 13, 2025, at the age of 83. Pete and his wife Margaret are shown below in March, 2016 at the Penrose-Strawbridge House. Both Pete and Margaret committed the latter parts of their lives to our group, preserving the history of Horsham Township, the restoration of the Penrose-Strawbridge House and service to our community. Margaret passed away April 5, 2017. Peter Jacquet Choate was born on May 28,...

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William and Hannah Penrose

William and Hannah Penrose William Penrose is the second generation of Penroses to own and farm Graeme Park. William Penrose, the third child and second son of Samuel and Sarah Penrose, was 19 when he moved with his parents from Richland Township to Graeme Park in 1801. His older brother, Abel, remained in Richland. His older sister, Gainor, would marry Richard Jarrett (son of Jonathan and Hannah (Mather) Jarrett) of Horsham. He married in 1810 at age 28 to Hannah Jarrett (daughter of William and Ann (Lukens) Jarrett), also of Horsham. William and Hannah moved into a new home – a large...

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Governor Sir William Keith

Sir William Keith Sir William Keith (1680-1748) was the deputy governor of the province of Pennsylvania under William Penn’s widow, Hannah Callowhill Penn. “Keith was descended from that great feudal family of that name, the head of which, for about six hundred years, was Marischal to the King of Scotland, in ancient times sitting with the Constable at the monarch’s right hand in Parliament.”89 William Keith was the eldest son of Sir William Keith of Ludquhairn, and was born at the family home of Boddam Castle, near Boddam in the extreme north east of Scotland. He studied at Marischal...

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Films at the Farm

Films at the Farm With its open fields and long history, Horsham is a fantastic place for moody, exciting, and historical films. Here are a few of the films that have been recorded on property owned by HPHA.  If you would like to use our property for a film set, please let us know by filling out the attached form. Apply to Use an HPHA Property as a Film Set Films Shot at Strawbridge-Penrose Farm Apparition, Released 2016 The independent movie Apparition (IMDB) (formerly Remorse) was filmed on location at the Penrose Strawbridge House for about 3 weeks in June 2013. About 85...

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Beekeeping

Beekeeping at the Penrose Strawbridge HouseAbout Honey BeesInterested in Becoming a Bee Keeper? Beekeeping at the Penrose Strawbridge House We know for sure that Mrs. Strawbridge’s caretaker, Dennis Smith, kept bees but since the property has been an active farm since Governor Keith’s time, it’s likely that bees were kept at the Penrose Strawbridge House prior to the Strawbridges. Tadeus (Ted) Florek, had been keeping bees at another location but was being forced to move due to development of that location. Ted knew of the Penrose Strawbridge House through a...

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