Glencoe Museum and Gallery, located in the Glencoe Mansion, is pleased to announce that a Wharton family rocking chair has returned to its former home.
Part of the mission of the museum is to highlight the history of Glencoe Mansion as the Wharton family residence and to focus on their life and accomplishments in Radford and the region. For staff and volunteers it is exciting to have an original piece back in the home as it helps to better tell the story of Glencoe as a historical artifact.
The rocking chair, which has returned after nearly 40 years away from the mansion, is a fine example of late nineteenth century furniture.
The piece was donated by Wharton family descendants who said, “We wanted the chair to have a good home … back in the house where it came from.”
Hearing the stories of Wharton family descendants reminds us that Glencoe was truly a home. The mansion was constructed by General Gabriel C. Wharton in 1875 and stayed in family hands until 1981.
One of the descendants who donated the rocking chair reminisced about time spent at Glencoe: “When it was a house the best memories, speaking for my mother and myself, was sliding down the banister. All the kids did it for generations. I also enjoyed seeing my great aunt Nita von Poederoyen as she would spend every summer there and we’d go tooling around in her Chevy Caprice.”
The collection at Glencoe Museum and Gallery grows through donations from the community. The museum is always seeking original Wharton family pieces, fine pieces of Victorian era furniture and decorative arts; and items and images that help illustrate the history of Radford and surrounding region. Donations of objects to the museum are eligible for tax deductions.
Glencoe Museum and Gallery, which is Radford’s museum, is three museums in one: a house museum focusing on the Glencoe Mansion and Wharton family history; history museum with an emphasis on Radford’s role in U.S. history; and art gallery featuring the works of local artists.
— Submitted by Scott Gardner
— Submitted by Scott Gardner
