Sweetbriar Mansion Collection

The documents in this collection pertain to Sweetbriar Mansion in Fairmount Park. They include writings by Samuel Breck who built the mansion in 1797 and lived there until 1828. These are found in the first series but date from after his time at Sweetbriar. All following series date from 1928 and relate to restoration of Sweetbriar by the Junior League of Philadelphia. The league took over guardianship of the mansion in 1924 and the restoration was completed in 1932. Correspondence in this collection demonstrates how members of the Junior League reached out to descendants of the Breck family in preparation for the restoration, particularly seeking donations of Breck furniture and other historic objects for display in the house.

The second series is made up of Lysbeth Boyd (Mrs. Henry P.) Borie’s 1928 correspondence. Each folder is dedicated to her correspondence with a particular individual, organized alphabetically by last name. Mrs. Borie was a member of the Junior League and the chairman of the committee charged with the restoration of Sweetbriar. She served as president of the league from 1930 to 1932 as the project progressed. Later, she joined the staff of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and served as Director of Public Relations from 1957 to 1972. During her tenure she spearhead museum initiatives such as the volunteer guide service, the members’ newsletter and the Cultural Loop Bus on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

In the third series is Thomas Reath’s 1928 correspondence related to the Junior League work on Sweetbriar, arranged into folders as above. He contacted members of the Breck family on the behalf of the Junior League and passed their responses on to Mrs. Borie. Many of these exchanges end with a form letter from Mrs. Borie as chairman of the restoration committee that have been kept with the Reath correspondence because they form part of his communication with Breck family members.

The final series contains various documents and photographs. In the first folder there is a letter from Elizabeth Martin to Mrs. McLean, presumably two Junior League members, along with a card that references Mr. Joseph Breck. This series also contains four photographs of Breck family members, all labelled, and two identical images of Samuel Breck on cardstock. Finally, notes and labels found among the other material have been kept, along with original housing, and are included in this final series.