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FRESH OFF THE PRESS!
Docent Donn Smith generously spends his Wednesdays combing through the Mather family archives—and oh, the treasures he's found!
From Joseph Mather's 1773 Bible to Rena Mather's beautiful 19th century shawl to a love letter Stephen Mather wrote his wife, these artifacts reveal more than 250 years of family and American history.
Read Donn’s blogs below to discover the stories hidden inside this remarkable home.
Prodigy, Pitchman, and the Deacon’s great-grandsonA brief look at “Professor” William Street Hutchings.
In the midst of shaking the Mather family tree for Civil War participants, we were confronted with a most unexpected, offbeat, somewhat...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Mar 24, 20251 min read
One Who Saved. One Who Was Lost. Added Mather descendants in the Civil War
We have recently found two more great-grandsons of Deacon Joseph Mather who served in Union Regiments. Assistant Surgeon Nathan Selleck...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Mar 24, 20251 min read
When Alfred, Horace, Joe, Will, George, and George come marching home…A first look at Mather men serving in the Civil War
We are all familiar with the Mathers’ commitment to America’s fight for independence during the Revolutionary War. But, recently, the...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Mar 24, 20252 min read
The Unexpected Connection of Two Groundbreaking NPS Women…
Among Stephen Mather correspondence at the Bancroft Library is a note from Edna Pinkley at the Casa Grande Ruins wishing Stephen better...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Mar 24, 20252 min read
Western Union, Borax, and HollywoodStephen Mather and Christian Zabriskie
Alphabetically, the first item in the Bancroft collection is a Western Union Holiday Greeting from Franklin Pierce Adams. Fittingly,...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Mar 10, 20252 min read
The Man Behind the Brush: Frank BensingStephen Tyng Mather’s Portrait Artist
We have documented Stephen Mather’s support of fellow Chicagoans’ artistic talents in his selection of Walter Burley Griffin to design...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Mar 5, 20251 min read
Stephen Tyng Mather, The “Gibson Man.”
An earlier blog (“Meet the Press…”) looked at letters from leading magazine and newspaper editors. Among them was George Lorimer, Editor...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Jan 19, 20252 min read
Hail to the Chiefs: Stephen Mather and the Presidents
As another Inauguration approaches, here’s a quick look the U.S. Presidents with whom Stephen Mather worked to assure the growth and...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Jan 3, 20253 min read
Stephen Mather ’87 and the fortunes (and misfortunes) of his Berkeley Bears.
Among the Stephen Mather materials in the Bancroft Library collection are three pieces that reflect Stephen’s rooting interest in...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Jan 3, 20251 min read
This land is my land…This land is your land.Quest, Quandary and Conflict: NPS and the American Indian
In February 1929, Stephen Mather received a letter from Charles L. Ellis, District Superin-tendent, Department of the Interior, Office of...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Jan 3, 20252 min read
It’s About Time: A Look at the Homestead’s Collection of Clocks
Each first floor room of the Homestead is graced by an antique clock imbued with history and the patina of timeless craftsmanship. In...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Jan 3, 20252 min read
Stephen Mather and the Concessionaires. Part 2: Roe Emery of Glacier and more.
In his biography of Stephen Mather, Robert Shankland explores the advent of the transportation system in Glacier National Park: “To run a...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Dec 12, 20241 min read
Reappraising the Appraisal: Revealing the Roots of the “Rose of Sharon” sampler
Among the many samplers on display at Mather Homestead, one stands out for its detail, exceptional needlework, choice of verse, and its...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Dec 10, 20241 min read
Stitches in Time: 19th Century Samplers selected from the Homestead Collection
According to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, “Samplers depicting alphabets and numeral were worked by young women to...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Dec 10, 20242 min read
A Petticoat, a Christening Gown, and a Hanky. More items from the Homestead Attic.
In the attic, we have found everything from an antique spinning wheel to a Civil War sword…from centuries-old deeds to day-by-day...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Dec 10, 20241 min read
Stephen Mather and the Concessionaires Part 3: Howard Hays ‘Impresario of the Parks”
“…I shall greatly appreciate if you will autograph one of your photographs and send it to me here. I assure you it will have an honored...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Nov 16, 20242 min read
Stephen Mather and the Concessionaires Part One: Don Tresidder of Yosemite
According to Robert Shankland in his biography of Stephen Mather, Mather had to overcome bureaucracy and vested interests to establish...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Nov 12, 20241 min read
“America’s, if not the world’s premier Christmas dinner…” And we can thank Stephen Mather!
“Scenery is a hollow enjoyment to the tourist who sets out in the morning after an indigestible breakfast and a fitful night’s sleep on...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Nov 12, 20241 min read
The Mather Homestead: 60 Years as a National Historic Landmark
Late in 1963, Conrad Wirth, Director of the National Park Service wrote to Bertha Mather McPherson saying in part… ”It will always be a...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Oct 29, 20242 min read
America’s Agatha Christie, trouting on the Flathead River, and the National Parks Portfolio
Of the hundreds of photographs in the fifth edition of the National Parks Portfolio, only two individuals are identified by name. One is...
Mather Homestead Foundation
Oct 29, 20242 min read
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