This is Nik Stamps' most heartbreaking and personal video. Nik's childhood home was a building that was once the water pump-house for this elegant mansion which was located across the street. In 1897 the Dearnley Mansion would have been located along Ridge Avenue. It would have been accessed by a long road, the style of road from your classic movie, where you slowly approach this massive building. There was also a large stone barn that was part of the estate. The barn was demolished around the 1950's when houses and a Bible Chapel were first built on the open land of the Dearnley Estate. The old place became The Nazarene Home for Aged Women in the 1950's.
Tragically after the mansion was demolished in 2005 the low quality houses built on the property failed to sell due to the real estate bust. If the mansion had been saved for a few more months, it might still be around today. At the same time that this mansion controversy was going on, another mansion down the street of equal size but lesser beauty was for sale. It survived and has since been converted into condos preserving that mansion. The entire site of the Dearnley Mansion was striped including all the trees. Since than the few houses, out of the many planned to be built on the site are still vacant. Some have even posted signs in their windows saying "Buyer Beware".
Nik Stamps was interviewed about the mansion and his film about it. A link will be posted for that article soon. Here is a personal memory in place of it for now.
"It's one of those childhood dreams of a beautiful place and time; I was 6-12 years old when I used to roam the mansion's dozens of rooms. I lived across the street and my childhood best-friend lived in the caretakers' annex of the place. So her parents would have parties in the 'Big House' as they called it. Us kids would run off and play so many games, sneaking up and down the servant steps for massive hide & seek games. My first game of spin the bottle was on the third floor next to the railings where you could see down three stories, noting like a first kiss mixed with vertigo. Years later, I went back and filmed a few quick clips, after breaking into the gutted building. It was so strange; it was so much smaller since I had grown up. I really relate it to the Titanic on so many levels, the ship of 1912 and the movie from 1997. I really seem to love the turn of the century periods for the 1900's and 1990's. I'm just happy to have been able to experience it and so grateful to have this video segment. So I can always "Go back to Titanic" as corny as it sounds!"
Check out the other 7 clips on the history of Roxborough, Manayunk & The Wissahickon Valley below:
Roxborough & Manayunk Movie Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr1hThT-yOw
Kelpius, Dooms Day Cult in Wissahickon Woods:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgIzCyNymOk
Cave of Kelpius - More History on the Cult in Wissahickon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsHre3Goe2o
18 Soldiers Murdered on Ridge Ave:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n9MyVekzRU
Ridge Ave, Oldest Road in USA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgHl7UMqPas
Manayunk - Leader of Industrial Age:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiuXNuD7PqM
The Wissahickon Valley, Wasteland to Wooded Oasis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hnQJlt-8d8
Contact Nik Stamps for hire for your next photo or video project!
http://www.StampsPix.com
Twitter: NikSaysTooMuch
Facebook: Nik Stamps
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