The 17.3-acre estate, settled in 1850 by Charles Macalester, is one of the last homes representing an era when Torresdale was a recreational area for the rich, when casinos and hunting clubs were the norm.
"This is the only mansion from that time that's open to the public," said Lititia Edwards, acting president of the non-profit organization that maintains Glen Foerd. "There were two other mansions right nearby - and they were there until the '60s and '70s - but one by one, they were destroyed."
Glen Foerd, a three-story Italianate mansion, was built on the site of the mid-1800s version of the truck stop: a combination ferry dock and tavern for travelers looking for a place to relax. Hunters and fishermen also stayed there at length, one of them Macalester.
A retired banker and adviser to eight U.S. presidents, Macalester was so taken with the spot, he didn't just make plans to return - he dipped into his deep pockets and bought the land for his own hideaway.
The University of Pennsylvania graduate called his estate Glengarry. The home he constructed was modest in comparison to the opulent Victorian settings of such current movies as "The Age of Innocence."
In 1893, 23 years after Macalester's death, Robert H. Foerderer bought the estate from Macalester's daughter. He doubled the size of the house, adding a dining room and an art gallery, and gave it a new name.
Florence Foerderer Tonner, Foerderer's socialite daughter, lived there until her death in 1971 and was the home's last occupant.
One of the prize attractions of the home is the artwork, which includes an extensive collection of paintings by William Blake, the 18th-century English poet and painter.
