Morris, Lydia Thompson, 1849-1932

"The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania began in 1887 as 'Compton,' the summer home of Quaker siblings John and Lydia Morris. [Eventually, with the purchase of Bloomfield Farm in 1913, the property encompassed more than 166 acres.] The I.P. Morris Company, an iron-manufacturing firm founded by their father and later run by John Morris, was a source of family wealth.

"The land the Morrises purchased in Chestnut Hill was barren, with poor soil that drained too quickly; but with diligent care they surrounded their home with a landscape and plant collection devoted to beauty and knowledge. 'Two Lines,' a sculpture by George Rickey marks the former mansion site. The Widener Visitor Center was formerly the carriage house.

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