Graeme Park is a historic park located in Horsham,
Pennsylvania. The land features the Keith House, which was built in the 1720s
and is the only surviving home of a colonial Pennsylvanian governor.
The Keith House is named for Sir William Keith, who served
as Pennsylvania's governor. Keith was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1669.
He served as surveyor-general of the Royal Customs for the Southern District in
the American colonies under Queen Anne beginning in 1713. However, he lost this
position after Queen Anne’s death in 1714 when George I took over the crown and
purged government officials of those suspected to be Jacobites (those who
supported the Scots Stuarts family).
In 1717, Keith was commissioned to be Pennsylvania’s
governor, so he moved across the Atlantic with his family and acquired the land
that is now Graeme Park. Keith was replaced as governor in 1726 and won a seat in
Britain’s Parliament for Aberdeen. He left for Britain and never returned to
America again.
When Keith came to America, Dr. Thomas Graeme came along.
Graeme was born in 1688 in Balgowan, Perthshire, Scotland. He studied medicine
in France. Graeme married Keith’s stepdaughter, Ann Diggs, in 1719. In 1727,
Graeme became Philadelphia’s port physician and held that position until 1741.
Beginning in 1728, he was a trustee for Keith’s property in America and
purchased this land in 1737. Graeme lived on the property until his death in
1772.
Other families have held the property until Margaret
Strawbridge sold the remaining land to the National Lands Trust in 1982. In
1997, the National Lands Trust sold the property to Horsham township. Today, Graeme
Park is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and receives
support from Friends of Graeme Park.
Graeme Park hosts a variety of events throughout the year and is open for tours. The park hosts ghost tours and paranormal investigations as the Keith House is said to be haunted.
-Book Review: "The Graves are Walking": https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2024/10/book-review-graves-are-walking.html