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Burholme park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burholme Park and the Robert W. Ryerss Museum and Library was a gift of the last descendant of the Ryerss family, a prominent Philadelphia family. Robert W. Ryerss, who died on Feb. 18, 1895 at the age of 65 and, left his estate to Mary Reed, his wife of eight months and the head house keeper of Burlhome for 27 years. He left everything to her under the condition that upon her death the best part of his land and much of his estate would be left to the “People of Philadelphia, forever” as a museum and public lending library. Mary Reed Ryerss spent the rest of her life traveling around the world collecting objects for the Museum and planning for the library and park.
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The Burholme estate was built in 1859 by Joseph Waln Ryerss, a wealthy importer of goods from Asia and president of the Tioga railroad company, to be the families’ summer home. The Waln family, who intermarried frequently with the Ryerss family, were descendants of Nicholas Waln, who sailed on “The Welcome” with William Penn in 1682. The Waln and Ryerss families were part of the Philadelphia social elite.
The Ryerss family were philanthropists and early animal rights activists. Robert’s stepmother, Anne Ryerss, would care for elderly and sick work horses on the Burlhome estate. When she died in 1888, she left $30,000 to care for “aged and infirmed” horses and an additional $40,000 to create and maintain a hospital. Robert W. Ryerss bought land an 80 acre farm in Bustleton and became the first president of the Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines until he retired in September 1894. The Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines was among the first societies in the United States to protect horses and large animals. Today the Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines still exists in Pottstown, PA.
In addition, to the Ryerss love of horses, Robert W. Ryerss was instrumental in helping create the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals and the Anti-Vivisectionist Society of Pennsylvania.
Visitors of the museum can see the family’s pet cemetery and the many portraits the Ryerss commissioned of their pets.
When Joseph W. Ryerss died in 1868 he left the estate to his only son Robert W. Ryerss. Robert W. Ryerss was educated at the University of Pennsylvania as an attorney, but because of the family’s wealth, he was able to live a life of leisure, while using much of his inheritance for philanthropic purposes. He traveled around the world and collected objects to display in the home. In addition, Robert W. Ryerss, was an avid reader. When he died he left his library of 11,000 books to be used as a public library. The Ryerss public library was one of the first public library’s in the city. On May 14, 1910 Burlhome Park and the Ryerss Museum and Library opened to the public and has stayed open ever since.
Today, The Burholme Estate still exists as a park, library and museum that is run by the Fairmount Park Commission. Residents of the Fox Chase area can sign up for a library card.