Owner III: Clarence Sears Kates: owned 28 years.

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Kates purchased 312 acres in 1902 from Walter Cox, the sole heir of Colonel Hewson Cox. Kates added a library wing based on Haddon Hall, Bakewell, England. Plans of construction (archived at the Philadelphia Atheneum) by Medry, a prominent Philadelphia architect of this era. He created a driveway that entered on Swedesford road which directly accessed the main house He added clay tennis courts, a cistern located 300 feet north of carriage house, a spring house south of swimming pool, a chauffeur cottage, a steam driven dairy barn, a smoke house that provided gravity fed hot water from the cistern to the main house and a heated constant flow swimming pool He also modified the origin Andrew Jackson Downing plans removing the porches for rap around pergola on face of main house (see pictures). Known as Kates Mansion and Swedesford Farm, Clarence was the head of many farm associations, a well-documented leader in research on steam power in agricultural applications, and a lecturer throughout the East on agricultural affairs.

His granddaughter came to my home in 1998 on her way to Florida after retiring. She was thrilled that she found the property where she grew up was being salvaged and curated by someone who took so much interest, and irrationally spent enormous capital to salvage the history and memories of her childhood. She sold me pieces of furniture that were originally in the house that she had in her home for the past 70 years. She sent me pictures and documents she kept through the years (see pics) and revealed less than flattering facts about her grandfather. After his dream of steam-driven farming went up in flames, so did his personal life.

Clarence, as it turns out, had two mistresses; he was separated from his wife, having taken up with two sisters at the property that is currently Loch Aerie Mansion. He left his trust / fortune to them, leaving his family nothing. (see documents given to me from his granddaughter, who lived with her mother in the chauffeur’s cottage (see letter and pictures), currently Rouse’s house.