Above is an illustration of The Physick House in Philadelphia. The Physick House is a historic house museum in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia, open to the public for tours.
CAPE MAY – Learn about the Philadelphia branch of the Physick family from a direct descendent of this illustrious family, in an event sponsored by the Friends of the Physick Estate, an affinity group of Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), on Friday, April 1 at 1 p.m. at the Cape May Lutheran Church, 509 Pittsburgh Ave.
“The Philadelphia Physicks” features guest speaker J. Del Conner, a direct descendant of Dr. Philip Syng Physick – Dr. Emlen Physick, Jr.’s grandfather. Conner will speak on the Physick family’s Philadelphia relatives and ancestors, including Dr. Philip Syng Physick, renowned as the “Father of American Surgery.” One of the foremost surgeons of the time, Dr. Physick was among the few courageous doctors who remained in the city to care for the sick during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. His house in Philadelphia, located at 321 South 4th Street in Philadelphia, Pa., was built in 1786 by Madeira wine importer Henry Hill. The square, four-story brick Physick House is the only free-standing Federal townhouse remaining in Philadelphia’s Society Hill and, like Cape May’s 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, is open to the public for tours. www.philalandmarks.org/physick-house
Admission to “The Philadelphia Physicks” is free for Friends members; $5 for non-members. Cape May Lutheran Church, 509 Pittsburgh Ave. Friday, April 1 at 1 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Physick Estate, an affinity group of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Advance registration is encouraged for this event; please call 609-884-5404 ext. 100.
The Friends of the Physick Estate are especially devoted to enhancing the collections of the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May, N.J., which is Cape May’s only Victorian House Museum. The Physick Estate was built for a rather unusual household: Dr. Emlen Physick, Jr., who never married; his widowed mother, Mrs. Ralston; and his maiden aunt Emilie It has been lovingly preserved to its original splendor by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). The 18-room Physick House was built in the Stick Style of architecture, and has the trademark design features of renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness. The Estate provides an in-depth glimpse of the Victorian period and offers year-round tours and unique living history programs.
MAC is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org.