If anyone ever tells you that Pennsylvania doesn’t have a rich history, they are absolutely wrong. Summer is the best time to brush up on your history before
school’s back in session, and what better place to learn than right in West Chester? Rain or shine, take a moment to reflect on history with “The Visionary World of Humphry Marshall, 1750 to 1800” exhibition at the Chester County Historical Society.
Brought to you by artist Adrian Martinez, the exhibit is aimed to showcase Pennsylvania throughout history with twelve different original paintings. From now until Saturday the 12th from 9:30am to 4:30pm, you can see for yourself why everyone is raving about these masterpieces. According to the CCHS website, it is a depiction of “the evolution of Chester County from frontier to farmland in the 18th century.”
Portrait by Adrian Martinez
Born in 1722 in Marshallton, Pennsylvania, Humphry Marshall was a Chester County’s first great botanist and environmentalist. He is most known for his interest in native plants, though he did create a botanical garden in his hometown with both native and exotic plants. Marshall also took over his father’s farm in 1748 after his first marriage, and he built an observatory to study astronomy in his backyard.He published his first work in 1785, “Arboretum Americanum: the American Grove, an Alphabetical Catalogue of Forest Trees and Shrubs, Natives of the American United States.” Marshall is still remembered today as the Father of American Dendrology, or the science of wooded plants.
Adrian Martinez brings Humphry Marshall’s botanical journey to life for a short time only. For more information about “The Visionary World of Humphry Marshall, 1750 to 1800,” visit the Chester County Historical Society (located at 225 North High Street), and Downtown West Chester, or call 610.692.4800.
