top of page
"Melmar" nameplate outside the main entry
Keystone above Melmar master bedroom with J. Bertram Lippincott initials and date
Leaded Glass Lippincott Coat of Arms in the Grand Stairway
Excerpt from Nicholas Biddle's Personal Memoirs - 1975
"Melmar" was built in 1910 on the expansive Lippincott family estate in Bethayres (Huntingdon Valley), Pa, and was originally used as a country home by Joshua Bertram Lippincott and his wife Joanna Wharton Lippincott, who also owned estates in center city Philadelphia, and Jamestown, Newport, R.I.
Bertram was the son of the founder of Publisher J.B. Lippincott & Co, Joshua Ballinger Lippincott. Joanna was the daughter of the founder of The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, and Bethlehem Steel, Joseph Wharton.
Upon J. Bertram Lippincott's death in 1940, his daughter Sarah Wharton Lippincott Biddle, and her husband Brigadier General Nicholas Biddle acquired the property from her executors. "Melmar" was as their primary residence when not at their summer estate, "Gulls Nest" in Jamestown, Newport, R.I.
Columns
The four magnificent fluted Greek Ionic Columns at the grand entrance of "Melmar" were originally part of the entrance of Sarah Biddle's childhood home, the "Oak Hill" mansion in Philadelphia.
"Oak Hill" was given to Sarah's parents, J. Bertram Lippincott and Joanna Wharton Lippincott as a wedding gift by Sarah's grandfather Joseph Wharton, the founder of the Wharton School of Business and Bethlehem Steel.
The Columns were relocated from "Oak Hill" in 1910 when Sarah's family built a new mansion on the Lippincott estate in Huntingdon Valley, Pa named "Melmar"
Excerpt from Nicholas Biddle's Personal Memoirs - 1975
Joseph Bertram Lippincott's Philadelphia mansion, "Oak Hill"
The Columns as they look today at "Melmar"
Pergola
The Italian Marble Pergola in the rear gardens at "Melmar" was originally imported by Sarah Biddle's grandfather Joseph Wharton to his Philadelphia mansion, "Ontalauna" from Rome where is it said to have been used by Roman Senators!
Excerpt from Nicholas Biddle's Personal Memoirs - 1975
Joseph Wharton's Philadelphia mansion, "Ontalauna"
Joseph Wharton's granddaughter (Sarah Biddle's cousin), Catharine Wharton Morris Wright's depiction of the Pergola while it was still at Ontalauna in her 1920 painting
"The Pergola, Ontalauna"
The Pergola at "Melmar" in 1959
The Pergola as it is today at "Melmar"
History
"Melmar" in 1962 upon Sarah Biddle's death
"Melmar" in 1980 after Nicholas Biddle's death
Sarah Biddle died at Melmar in 1962, and upon Nicholas Biddle's death in 1977, the estate was distributed among their heirs. In 1980, the 200 acre Biddle Estate was sold to Toll Brothers and developed into an upscale subdivision named "Biddle Estates". Although the majority of the estate was used to construct new homes, he developers preserved the "Melmar Mansion" on its own 2.1 acre parcel as a standalone property.
Biddle Family visit to Melmar 2022
Nicholas & Sarah Biddle's Granddaughters, Great Granddaughter & husband, and Great-Great Grandson & Granddaughter
Beautiful white orchids graciously sent by the Biddle Family as a thank you
Historical Marker displayed in the entry of "Melmar"
Other Period Relevant Photos
Rumor that president dwight d eisenhower hunted with General Biddle in the Melmar woods!!!?? - Lippincott Dr listing...
bottom of page