American Studies Commons^™

William Rotch Wister (1827-1911), Dave Stanoch

People and Places

William Rotch Wister, born on December 7, 1827, was raised along with his siblings at the Belfield estate. William derived his "Rotch" name from the Rodmans and Rotches, relatives in Massachusetts who were the first people to settle the island of Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts.

Ella Eustis Wister Haines (1879-1969), Kristen Terranova

People and Places

Ella Eustis Wister was born on August 30, 1879 to William Rotch Wister and Mary Rebecca Eustis, at Mrs. Wister’s mother’s home in Milton, Massachusetts.

Sarah Logan Wister Starr (1873-1956), Jeff Thompson

People and Places

Named after her grandmother, Sarah Logan Fisher, Sarah Logan Wister was born in Pierre County, Duncannon, near Philadelphia in 1873. Her Father John Wister descended from the wealthy Wisters of Philadelphia, while her mother descended from James Logan, Secretary to William Penn during the early colonial period.

"Waldheim" And Its Inhabitants, Justin Cupples

People and Places

Remnants of the foundation of the former "Waldheim" mansion are still in existence. One can still trek into the small patch of woods between the Neumann Halls Dormitory and the La Salle University commuter parking lot, and take a gander at the ruins of the home of historically significant people.

John Caspar Wister (1887-1982), Andy Gwiazda

People and Places

John Caspar Wister, who was, as the Philadelphia Inquirer so aptly described him, the "dean of horticulturists" in the UnitedStates, was born on March 19, 1887, to William Rotch Wister and Mary Rebecca Eustis in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

William Logan Fisher (1781-1862), Michelle Dillin

People and Places

William Logan Fisher, industrialist, author, and "Philadelphia patriarch" bought the "Belfield" estate from the Peale family in 1826. He lived at "Wakefield" and established the Wakefield Mills Manufacturing Company. In its prime, the Wakefield Mills, powered by steam and water, produced an estimated nine-tenths of all hosiery and fancy knit goods in the United States.

Mary Channing Wister (1870-1913): An Unknown Legend, Eric M. Augenstein

People and Places

Most articles and stories about Mary Channing Wister start out like this: "Mary Channing Wister, the wife of the novelist Owen Wister, author of The Virginian. . . ." For some people, being affiliated with a famous spouse or other family member is a great honor. There is much more to Mary Channing Wister, though, than just having a famous husband.

Wisters And Fishers In The Civil War, Jen Merritt

People and Places

The Wister and Fisher families who lived on or near what is today La Salle's campus were prominent members of their community and many of them served diligently during the Civil War.

Frances Anne Wister (1874-1956), Bob Delp

People and Places

One of the first leadership positions that Frances Anne held was as vice president of the Women’s Civic Club of Philadelphia (c. 1907). She served as vice president for the rest of her life, except for a period of seven years (1922-29), when she served as its president. It was her sister, Mary Channing Wister, who founded the Women’s Civic Club, but when she died, Frances Anne continued it and kept it running. The Civic Club was responsible for bringing about electric street lighting to the city of Philadelphia.

Home Where "The Mansion" Was, James A. Butler

Local History Essays

(Reprinted from La Salle: A Quarterly La Salle University Magazine, Spring 1994)

The Wister Family owned four homes on the Belfield estate. Two buildings survive: "Belfield"--or "Peale House"--itself, and the "Mary and Frances Wister Fine Arts Studio" (built by the William Rotch Wisters in 1868). The William Rotch Wisters' stunning second house, "Wister," was built in 1876 on the side of Clarkson Avenue opposite from the Arts Studio; "Wister" was donated to Fairmount Park in 1949 and demolished in 1956.

The Remarkable Wisters At Belfield, James A. Butler

Local History Essays

Reprinted from La Salle: A Quarterly La Salle University Magazine, Spring 1994

The history of the nineteenth-century Wisters at "Belfield" encompasses three adjoining properties--and begins (perhaps appropriately for a future university campus) with a teenager who defied her father.