TRR photo by Krista Gromalski Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Dale Bosworth, left, adds his signature to a cooperative agreement, which drew much media attention at the reopening of Grey Towers. Behind Bosworth is Director of Grey Towers Ed Brannon, Jr., with Al Sample, President of the Pinchot Institute, at right. (Click for larger image)

History reborn

By KRISTA GROMALSKI

MILFORD — Possibly signaling a new beginning for the conservation movement in the United States, the Grey Towers National Historic Landmark celebrated its reopening on August 11, along with the birthday of one if its legendary residents, Gifford Pinchot, a former Pennsylvania Governor and founder the U.S. Forest Service.

After a two-year closure to complete $15 million in renovations, the mansion, once owned by the Pinchot family, is restored to its loftier days. Peter Pinchot, a sixth generation descendant of the Pinchots in Milford and grandson of Gifford, said the public will now have the opportunity to see the way Gifford and his wife Cornelia lived “during the peak of their political careers.”

	TRR photo by Krista Gromalski Peter Pinchot, Edgar Brannon, Jr. and Jim Grace cut the ribbon at the door of Grey Towers. (Click for larger image)

Peter said his grandfather used the mansion “as a salon for artists, scientists and politicians.” The restoration of Grey Towers, he said, comes at precisely the time when such people need to meet “in a relaxed environment… for deep, contemplative dialogues on the state of nature.”

Following an array of speeches and congratulatory remarks by officials from the local to national levels, a crowd of excited guests made its way to the front door of the mansion for an open house.

Edgar Brannon, Jr., Director of Grey Towers who saw the landmark through its transformation, said 115 years ago on the same day as the reopening of Grey Towers Gifford turned 21 years old. He faced life choices which included college and career, Brannon said. “We know what he decided. He made the right choice.”

Grey Towers is managed and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service in cooperation with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation. For more information call 570/296-9630 or visit www.pinchot.org.