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and its independence. In Waynesborough, we visited the family home of General Anthony Wayne, a keen supporter of independence and an anti-British agitator. He won numerous battles including the capture of a British outpost at Stony Point.
Later, members of our delegation had a chance to visit the delightful Chanticleer Garden. The estate was established in 1912 by a pharmaceutical manufacturer, Adolph G. Rosengarten and includes around a dozen small gardens managed by dedicated teams constantly striving for innovation.
When meetings weren’t taking place, the French delegation to the Philadelphia Triennial engaged in nonstop sightseeing, including a trip to the orchid house at Chanticleer Garden.
The following day, we were treated to a history lesson at Valley Forge, where in December 1777 General George Washington established his winter quarters and trained 11,000 troops. We were welcomed at the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge Episcopal Church by William Troppman, park ranger, and Reverend Mark Nestlehutt, church rector, to take part in a service.
Our first delegates’ meeting was held in Philadelphia’s Masonic Temple. This impressive building contains seven splendid temples in which lodges from Philadelphia still meet. Later, we visited the Barnes Foundation museum
and viewed the expansive collection of impressionist paintings.
The next day, the General Society’s new officers were elected, and we met at the Museum of the American Revolution to solemnize the occasion.
We were invited by Forrest and Page Pragoff
and the Delaware Society of the Cincinnati to spend two days at Montchanin in a charming hotel. This was a moment of great friendship, with the group singing along together led by Ghislaine de Choiseul Praslin. We visited the sites of several battles against the British along the Brandywine River.
We discovered the history of the Pont family, which began with the arrival of French immigrant Eleutère Irénée du Pont in 1802, who set up a gunpowder factory on the shores of Brandywine Creek, which made the family rich. The visit to the factory, which has been maintained in its original state, was fascinating, as was the history of the family home.
The power of this family can also be seen at Longwood Gardens, one of the world’s finest botanical gardens. It includes more than four hundred hectares of gardens and is noteworthy for its magnificent greenhouses and fountains
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