Alfred O. Deshong

Alfred Odenheimer Deshong (September 30, 1837 – April 19, 1913) was an American businessman, philanthropist and art collector from Chester, Pennsylvania. Deshong came from a wealthy family including his grandfather Peter Deshong and father John O. Deshong. He operated a successful quarry business for years and was a director of the Delaware County National Bank. He invested his fortune in the collection of art.

Alfred O. Deshong
Born(1837-09-30)September 30, 1837
Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 19, 1913(1913-04-19) (aged 75)
Resting placeChester Rural Cemetery, Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Quarry owner, banker

Deshong donated liberally to support the Chester Hospital and upon his death, donated his 22-acre property, mansion and art collection to the city of Chester which resulted in the creation of Deshong Park and the Deshong Art Museum. At current valuations, the donation would be worth over $24 million.

Early life

Deshong was born on September 30, 1837, in Chester, Pennsylvania, to John O. Deshong and Emmeline L. (Terrill) Deshong. He was educated in the local schools and attended the Bolmar Academy in West Chester, Pennsylvania.[1]

In 1862, Deshong enlisted as a private in Company K, Tenth Regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia and served in the Battle of Antietam under Captain Thatcher.[2] He was honorably discharged on September 27, 1862.

In 1863, Deshong re-enlisted when Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania. He enlisted in company A of the 37th Regiment,[3] Emergency Corps, known as the "Slipher Phalanx". He served in the Battle of Gettysburg and was honorably discharged on August 4, 1863.[4]

Career

In 1865, he entered into partnership with his brother, John O. Deshong, Jr., and operated the Deshong quarries in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania. The partnership was successful and lasted for 30 years until John's death on November 1, 1895.[5]

In 1895, Deshong was elected a director of the Delaware County National Bank.[6]

Philanthropy

Deshong donated liberally to support Chester Hospital, located at 9th and Barclay Streets in Chester. The Alfred O. Deshong sanitary cottage for the treatment of tuberculosis was built by Deshong and donated to the Chester Hospital.[7] After his death, he left in trust his art collection, mansion and 22-acre estate to the city of Chester. The value of the donation would be estimated at $24 million in current dollars.[8] The bequest resulted in the establishment of the Deshong Park and the Deshong Art Museum.[9]

Deshong Park
Main article: Deshong Park
Grounds and Entrance of the Deshong Mansion
The defunct Deshong Art Museum in 2018
Meadows in Winter painting by George Loftus Noyes from the Widener University Art Museum Alfred O. Deshong Collection

The Deshong mansion was built in 1850 on 22 acres off Edgemont Avenue in the Greek Revival Italianate style by Alfred's father, John O. Deshong, Sr.[10] It was willed to the people of Chester after Alfred's death.[11] The land was turned into a public park named Deshong Park and an art museum was built on the property. The mansion and art museum fell into disrepair in the 1980s. The trust was dissolved and the property was taken over by the Delaware County Industrial Development Authority. The mansion suffered a partial collapse in 2013 and was demolished in 2014.[12] In 2018, 60% of the park was sold for commercial development.[13]

Main article: Deshong Art Museum

The Deshong Memorial Art Gallery was built in 1914 after his death on the same property as the Deshong Mansion. The building was designed to be fireproof with exterior walls of Dover marble.[14] The large main gallery for paintings was modeled after the Emperor of Germany's gallery at Cassel.[15] It housed over 300 pieces of art including carved Japanese ivory figures, Chinese carved hard stone vessels and 19th century American and European paintings[16] including American Impressionists Edward Redfield, Robert Spencer and George Loftus Noyes[17]

Deshong's last art purchase was a pair of large Foo dogs cast in bronze. The statues were placed flanking the doors of the Deshong mansion.[18]

At one time it was the only public art gallery on the East Coast.[9] From 1961 to 1978 the building was operated as a library, but over the years, it fell into disrepair.[9]

Between 1976 and 1979, teenager Laurence McCall from Chester, Pennsylvania, stole paintings from the art gallery.[19] The museum had limited security and McCall was able to steal paintings valued at the time at $300,000, by simply taking them off the wall and sliding them out of the museum's windows.[20] Many of the stolen items were sold through Sotheby's in New York City.[21][22] McCall was eventually caught, and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison and served three.[20] A majority of the artwork was recovered.[20][23]

In 1979, Widener University leased the building and restored the museum. In July 1984 the remaining trustees that managed the art museum dissolved the trust. The Asian and impressionistic art collection and $500,000 of the trust were given to Widener University where the collection is currently displayed.[24]

Personal life
The sculpture "Sorrow" by Samuel Murray sits atop Deshong's grave at Chester Rural Cemetery

Deshong was known as a lavish host and entertained artists, musicians and political figures at the Deshong mansion.[25][6] He never married and became reclusive toward the end of his life.[18]

He died on April 19, 1913, and was interred at Chester Rural Cemetery.[26] His grave is marked by the bronze sculpture, "Sorrow" by Samuel Murray. It was commissioned by Deshong and installed the year before his death.[27]

References
  1. "Alfred O. Deshong". www.oldchesterpa.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  2. Martin, John Hill (1877). Chester (and Its Vicinity,) Delaware County, in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: WM. H. Pile & Sons. pp. 376–377. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  3. Bates, Samuel P. (1871). History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Volume 5, Part 2. Harrisburg: B. Singerly, State Printer. p. 1259. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  4. Ashmead, Henry Graham (1914). History of the Delaware County National Bank. Chester, Pennsylvania: Press of the Chester Times. p. 132. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  5. "Deshong Family". www.widener.edu. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  6. Cope, Gilbert (1904). Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 65. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  7. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 47. 1906. p. 787. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  8. "Widener University Art Gallery". www.visitdelcopa.com. Visit Delco. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  9. Rodgers, Loretta. "Chester community celebrates redevelopment of Deshong Park". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  10. Chester. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. 2008. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-7385-6348-0. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  11. Smith, H.V. (1914). Chester and Vicinity. Chester, Pennsylvania: H. V. Smith. p. 80. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  12. Sullivan, Vince. "Crews undertake demolition of decrepit Deshong Mansion". www.delcotimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  13. "Resilence Through Recreation" (PDF). www.chestercity.com. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  14. Architecture and Building, Volume 48. New York: The William T. Comstock Company. 2016. p. 163. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  15. Architecture. C. Scribner's Sons. January 1916. p. 223. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  16. Schaefer, Mari A. "Pieces from Deshong collection go on display at Widener". www.philly.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  17. "Chester Magazine fall 2014". www.issuu.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  18. "Alfred O. Deshong". www.widener.edu. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  19. Woestendiek, John (4 May 1996). "PAINTED IN A CORNER BY HIS PAST: ART THIEF PAYS FOR HIS CRIME, AND PAYS, AND PAYS". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-09-03 – via ProQuest.
  20. Spencer, Gill (July 29, 2011). "Former art thief could really use a job". www.delcotimes.com. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  21. Woestendiek, John (4 May 1986). "Painted in a corner by his past: Art thief pays for his crime, and pays, and pays". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-09-03 – via ProQuest.
  22. Schafer, Mari A. "Languishing Deshong property frustrates Chester". www.inquirer.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  23. "The City - Stolen Art Identified". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  24. Waltzer, Jim. "The Fight to Bring Chester Back From the Brink". www.mainlinetoday.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  25. Publications of the Pennsylvania History Club Vol. 1. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania History Club. 1909. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  26. "OldChesterPa.com: Chester Rural Cemetery Interment Index". www.oldchesterpa.org. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  27. "Sorrow, (sculpture)". www.sris-artinventories.si.edu. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
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