Hamilton Mansion.

Great news for the historic Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion and all those who participated in their latest ambitious fundraising effort of raising $218,000 to restore the Hamilton Stable, the only remaining outbuilding from the 18th century.

“The Woodlands community contributed over $218,000 to restore the stable’s façade – which means you helped secure an extraordinary $612,000 challenge grant to restore the [Hamilton] Mansion from the William B. Dietrich Foundation,” reads a recent message by The Woodlands Executive Director Jessica Baumert. The McLean Contributionship, Connelly Foundation, and Wunsch Foundation also provided generous support of this project.

Photos courtesy of The Woodlands.

In a addition to the restoration of the Hamilton Mansion and Stable, the re-construction of the Cryptoporticus has resumed. The contractors have been numbering each brick before removing them from the sagging arch (pictured right). Then, the 18th century bricks will be put back in their original location using a mortar.

The Woodlands also announced some new and annual programs taking place this spring (the Woodlands is located at 40th and Woodland).

Sunday, April 12 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Your West Philadelphia House: How old is it? Who lived there?

Join The University City Historical Society at The Woodlands for a “how to” workshop, and learn to research the history of your own West Philadelphia house! Uncover your house’s story!Cost: Free to members of University City Historical Society or The Woodlands, $10 for non-members. Make your reservations here.  Continue Reading

The historic Woodlands Cemetery was holding a Veterans Day celebration earlier today, but this report, unfortunately, is about despicable acts that took place this week at the cemetery. The Woodlands’ executive director Jessica Baumert writes that vandalism was reported and witnessed at The Woodlands on Sunday, Nov. 9, and Tuesday, Nov. 11. Both incidents happened during the daytime, and there are reasons to believe that the same people were involved in each incident.

Police are searching for the following individuals:

White, male teenager (< 18 years), tall (± 6′), well built with a mop of black hair, pale complexion, large mouth, dark eyes, wearing a black zip-up jacket and black pants.

White (maybe Hispanic) female teenager (< 18 years), petite (< 5′ 4″) with long, straight, dark brown hair, olive complexion and dark eyes, wearing a brown (possibly leather) jacket and blue jeans.

On Sunday, there was an additional male. His description is not provided.

If you see people that fit this description on the grounds of The Woodlands, please call 911 and report it to the police immediately. Do not confront these individuals.

If you have additional information or witnessed any suspicious activity, please contact Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3183 or steven.blackwell@phila.gov

(Photo courtesy of The Woodlands)

This month, we’ll be publishing information about Halloween-themed events happening in the area. Here’s a roundup for the upcoming events at The Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion (40th and Woodland). Many of them are for the whole family. Please note that the first two events, dedicated to works of Edgar Allan Poe, will take place today (Tuesday, Oct 14).

Tuesday, Oct 14

Edgar Allan Poe: Funny Bones (kids are welcome)

4:30-6:30 p.m.

The Woodlands is a perfect setting for something mysterious and macabre, like a performance based on Edgar Allan Poe’s works. Literary historian and playwright Rob Velella, who specializes in 19th century American literature, will demonstrate some of Poe’s most loved stories. This event is especially great for kids. For more info and to buy tickets ($15 adults, $10 kids), click here.

Edgar Allan Poe: Master of the Macabre

7:30-9:30 p.m.

Velella, will continue his demonstration of some of Poe’s works, in this after-dark performance. After his performance, Velella will take you on a nighttime cemetery walk to visit Poe’s contemporary, Timothy Shay Arthur, at his eternal resting spot. This event is more suitable for adults and children ages 10+. For more info and tickets ($20), click here.  Continue Reading

Check out some of the latest news, upcoming events and other happenings around the neighborhoods.

• Around 700 homes in Kingsessing were still without gas service on Tuesday night due to a water main break near 56th St and Woodland Ave on Saturday, according to NBC10. The water main break caused a disruption to the natural gas line. Initially 60 homes in the area were affected but during the repair work, hundreds more homes were disconnected from natural gas service as far east as 52nd Street, according to reports.

• Good news for Marigold Kitchen fans! The highly-acclaimed Spruce Hill restaurant, whose owner Robert Halpern is moving on (and moving out of the state), is not closing after all, as was initially reported. Well, at least not for good. Halpern sold his business to his own chefs de cuisine, Tim Lanza and Andrew Kochan, both 26, The Insider reports. Halpern’s executive chef, Keith Krajewski, will also continue his work at this location, according to The Insider. The restaurant will serve its last dinner under Halpern’s ownership on Saturday, June 28. After that, it will close for some kitchen refurbishment work and will reopen in early September.

The English elms at The Woodlands (Photo courtesy The Woodlands)

• The Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion is asking the community to help them save seven English elm trees (they’re called “The 7 Giants”), some of the most significant historic trees on the grounds thanks to their size and age (they date back to the late 18th century). The trees are suffering from Dutch Elm Disease, which may kill them if left untreated. Treatment and monitoring of the disease is costly, so the Woodlands has started a fundraising campaign to help cover the costs. The initial goal is $20,000. For more information and to donate, click here.

• Little Baby’s Ice Cream has created a new flavor called the Works, now available at LBIC’s Cedar Park location (49th and Catharine). Proceeds from the sale benefit Neighborhood Bike Works, a non-profit that offers youth bike education programs and bike repair classes for adults.

• West Philly based art rock band The Chairman Dances will present their new album, The Death of Samuel Miller (out 6/27 via Grizzly Records), on Friday, June 27 at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). Spelling Reform (Facebook page) and Vita and the Woolf (Facebook page) will also take part in the album release show, which begins at 8 p.m. ($10). The Chairman Dances’ song “Prophetess” was No. 2 in WXPN‘s list of the 5 best Philly songs of 2013. The music video for the new record’s single, “Dance to the Neighbor’s Stereo,” is streaming on Vimeo.

Some of you may remember last summer’s Firefly Night held at the historic Woodland Cemetery’s grounds. Following this fun tradition, The Woodlands is kicking off a series of free events this week that would help bring local residents closer to nature and enjoy each other’s company. Nature Nights will take place on June 26, July 24, and August 21, from 6 to 9 p.m.. Each summer month, you’ll have an opportunity to learn more about the urban ecosystem and the creatures that are part of it: fireflies, moths, and bats.

The Firefly Night kicks off the series this Thursday and here’s what you should expect:

• Pack a picnic and bring your flashlights

• Spend the evening inside The Woodlands after dark searching for fireflies

• Educators from The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will be on site to tell you more about the way animals, including fireflies, communicate and attract mates

• Sweet treats from Lil’ Pop Shop will be available for sale throughout the evening.

For more details and other upcoming events at The Woodlands, check out this page.

Photo from woodlandsphila.org

Last month, when West Philly Local shared details about The Woodlands’ community survey, many of our readers took to the comments section to air grievances about off-leash dogs running around the site. The general consensus is that off-leash dogs are dangerous to visitors, as well as other animals on the site.

In response, Erica Maust, The Woodlands’ program & communications coordinator, reached out both in the comment section and directly to West Philly Local to remind the community of The Woodlands’ strict no off-leash dogs policy, as well as promote its Dog Walker membership. Maust confirmed that off-leash dogs as a major concern for the grounds, and that concern was reflected in “an overwhelming number of [survey] responses from neighbors and community members.”

According to Maust, off-leash dogs are “never permitted, or welcome, at The Woodlands,” both by city law and management policy, no exceptions. All dogs passing through its gates must be leashed, and if they are not, Maust said, Woodlands staff will ask the owner to leash their dog. If they’re a repeat offender, they’re asked to leave the grounds.

“No one should feel unsafe or uncomfortable when visiting the grave of a loved one, enjoying an afternoon walk, or teaching their children to ride a bike,” she told West Philly Local. “Not everyone likes or feels comfortable around dogs, and we want all of our visitors to feel as though The Woodlands is a safe place to visit.”

But, she noted, The Woodlands employs a small staff on the 54-acre site, which makes fully enforcing its policy difficult. So The Woodlands also rely on members visiting the grounds to help implement or make other visitors aware of its leash policy when a staff member may not be present, Maust said.

In an effort to raise awareness about the policy and ways members could help, Maust said The Woodlands’ created a Dog Walker membership, good for one person and their dog(s). The benefits of this membership level, which costs $75, include invites to members-only events and Doggy “Yappy Hours”, discounted ticket pricing, occasional exclusive after-dark access to the grounds, and one “I LOVE THE WOOFLANDS” dog leash.

“The dog-walking community is an especially important membership group to us, because so many people who live nearby rely on access to The Woodlands to walk their dogs daily. We recognize this, and we love that we can allow neighbors to walk their dogs at The Woodlands,” she said. “We also hope that these neighbors and their pets recognize that The Woodlands is an incredible resource that’s right in their backyard, and will use the space respectfully.”

The Dog Walker membership also includes access to the Dog of the Month program, in which visitors can submit a photo of their dog on the grounds via social media using the hashtag #wooflands. The social media campaign “has helped us raise awareness for our leash policy for all of our visitors and our followers on social media, and we hope it will lead to fewer problems and incidents with off-leash dogs at The Woodlands,” Maust said.

–Annamarya Scaccia