462:, who unsuccessfully proposed marriage to her twice. The piano story has long been debunked, but the relationship between the couple was on and off again between two of Stokowski's marriages. In its heyday, a full-time staff of 12 managed duties at the big house at Ardrossan. In addition to the main house, the estate was home to 38 other structures, including a number of homes historically significant in their own right. One structure dates to 1689; another was built in 1742. Until the death of Scott, Ardrossan was a working farm, featuring a prize-winning herd of
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370:, at a Main Line dinner party. They dated only a dozen times before deciding to marry, but her parents insisted they wait nine months more. Their marriage was described as the society wedding of the year, and covered in minute detail by the press. The newlyweds moved into Orchard Lodge, a circa 1720
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Following her father's death in 1949, Scott undertook the management of the
Ardrossan Farms, modernizing the dairy facilities. Although her mother continued on as chatelaine of the big house, both Hope and her brother, who also lived on the estate, used the main house more and more for social events
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mansion that was to become an icon of the old Main Line, was completed in 1911 from a design by
Trumbauer. The interior design was handled by White, Allom and Company, whose clientele included English royalty. The manor house features 45 rooms, 13-foot (4.0 m)-high ceilings, and a dining room
399:, developed in the 1840s, ran west from the city through farming country. In addition to acquiring right-of-way for its rail lines, the railroad also purchased farmland for suburban development and marketed properties as vacation homes, allowing
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As the beautiful daughter of an "old money" Philadelphia family, Montgomery received four marriage proposals the evening of her society debut, but did not accept any of them. The following year she met 24-year-old Edgar Scott, a grandson of
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fortune. After her marriage, Scott began to appear regularly on the New York
Couture Group's annual list of best-dressed women. Her beauty and slim, angular figure (size eight throughout her life) was much admired, inspiring artists such as
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and after their marriage, the Scotts became lifelong friends of Barry and his wife, Ellen. The idle rich were a source of inspiration to Barry, who had also become interested in the then-new phenomenon of the
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at
Philadelphia's Assembly Ball in 1922. One of the oldest and most exclusive social gatherings in the United States, it has been held every year since 1748 and was historically reserved for members of
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434:, and was determined to achieve social prominence. Upon becoming wealthy (as a result of his firm's handling the financing and initial public offering of the
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395:, at one time the largest publicly traded corporation in the world, was the source of many great Philadelphia fortunes. The railroad's main trunk line to
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newspaper. Tabloids, then as now notorious for gossip and scandal, were anathema to conservative, high-society families, and while on a visit to
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In the late 18th century, Philadelphia was the nation's leading city and became an industrial and commercial powerhouse by the 19th century. Its
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An apocryphal story indicates that the piano in the ballroom was a gift to
Colonel Montgomery's second daughter, Mary Binney Montgomery, from
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after the Second World War, Scott was elected chairman and executive director of the annual event, which raises money to support the
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Hope Scott was one of the four children of
Colonel Robert Leaming Montgomery, who founded the investment firm known today as
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Scott won many awards for horsemanship during her lifetime. With her husband, she participated in fox hunting events and
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403:'s wealthy urbanites to escape the city's notoriously humid summers. These suburbs, known collectively as "
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533:'s development into a major film star, and it is said, the popularity of "Tracy" as a girl's first name.
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feature film is said to have jump-started her stalled movie career. A later musical remake of the film,
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250:. Scott became famous for hosting lavish parties at Ardrossan, the Montgomerys' 750-acre (3.0 km)
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Scott became a noted figure in the international social scene of the 1920s and 1930s. She danced the
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with accommodations for 30. Among the family portraits that decorate the walls are some painted by
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was a major interest of hers throughout her lifetime. She was officially introduced to society as a
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Scott remained socially active until her death on
January 9, 1995, at age 90. She was interred at
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His wife Ellen had also suggested basing a play on
Philadelphia's social elite. The result was
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house given to Scott by her father as a wedding present, which is on the
Ardrossan estate in
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Montgomery was initially educated by a governess, and later spent a short period at
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about a tabloid's invasion of a society girl's second wedding, which appeared on
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to design mansions, created a facsimile of aristocratic
English country life.
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Philip Barry became fast friends while taking a playwrighting workshop at
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especially in support of the arts and during the week of the annual
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Burials at St. David's Episcopal Church (Radnor, Pennsylvania)
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506:. Confident and high-spirited, she is said to have convinced
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Her insouciance was to make her indirectly responsible for
430:. Colonel Montgomery was born into modest circumstances in
451:, along with a famed portrait of Hope Montgomery Scott by
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with private gentlemen's clubs, leisure pursuits such as
233:. In 1923, Helen Hope Montgomery married Edgar Scott, an
700:"The real-life Tracy Lord behind Allens Lane's 'Story'"
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and symbol of an aristocratic, free-spirited elegance.
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to stand on his head and reveal what was beneath his
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also the daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia family.
202:and sponsored other events to raise money for the
164:." She was the inspiration for Tracy Lord in the
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561:with threats of exposing family scandals.
293:. She began riding at the age of four, and
16:Philadelphian socialite and philanthropist
124:Learn how and when to remove this message
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
418:The Montgomery family had originated in
139:(April 8, 1904 – January 9, 1995) was a
32:This article includes a list of general
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638:. She also served as a director of the
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210:. She was considered the epitome of
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698:Mazzaccaro, Pete (27 January 2020).
313:at the time embraced a form of the
96:tone or style may not reflect the
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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153:labeled "the unofficial queen of
779:Ardrossan estate's final chapter
536:Edgar Scott and future New York
106:guide to writing better articles
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644:American Horse Show Association
630:. A principal organizer of the
746:Irvine, Ian (April 16, 1995).
728:. St. David's Episcopal Church
1:
748:"The Real Philadelphia Story"
640:United States Equestrian Team
478:The Philadelphia Story (film)
274:, and even more visibly, the
843:Socialites from Philadelphia
683:St. David's Episcopal Church
656:St. David's Episcopal Church
609:St. David's Episcopal Church
356:the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
329:White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
137:Helen Hope Montgomery Scott
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276:Philadelphia Museum of Art
177:, which was made into the
436:Baldwin Locomotive Works
221:Early life and education
227:Janney Montgomery Scott
53:more precise citations.
726:www.stdavidschurch.org
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567:The Philadelphia Story
471:The Philadelphia Story
174:The Philadelphia Story
801:Philadelphia Inquirer
702:. Chestnut Hill Local
607:Scott's tombstone in
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464:Ayrshire dairy cattle
393:Pennsylvania Railroad
364:Pennsylvania Railroad
190:Scott was a longtime
181:and the musical film
179:film of the same name
763:"Main Line Madcap".
687:Radnor, Pennsylvania
660:Radnor, Pennsylvania
613:Radnor, Pennsylvania
324:The Age of Innocence
291:Middleburg, Virginia
256:Radnor, Pennsylvania
833:American socialites
828:American debutantes
754:: 1. Archived from
722:"About St. David's"
588:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
555:St. Paul, Minnesota
546:George Pierce Baker
432:Darby, Pennsylvania
315:class-consciousness
260:W. Averell Harriman
793:2007-10-09 at the
786:Philadelphia Story
784:Community theater
636:Bryn Mawr Hospital
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321:in such novels as
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679:Scott's tombstone
580:Katharine Hepburn
578:in 1939 starring
572:comedy of manners
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460:Leopold Stokowski
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765:Vanity Fair
642:and of the
628:horse shows
598:Grace Kelly
559:blackmailed
508:Edward VIII
348:fox hunting
344:aristocracy
311:upper class
285:, a girls'
264:Cole Porter
150:Vanity Fair
51:introducing
812:Categories
706:28 January
666:References
596:, starred
538:playwright
516:long johns
504:El Morocco
484:Charleston
397:Harrisburg
372:fieldstone
366:president
34:references
788:playbill.
498:with the
420:Ardrossan
387:Androssan
299:debutante
212:Main Line
162:oligarchy
141:socialite
791:Archived
732:7 August
576:Broadway
525:'s only
494:and the
440:Georgian
428:Ayrshire
426:town in
424:Scottish
239:railroad
192:chairman
803:article
551:tabloid
542:Harvard
496:foxtrot
341:English
231:banking
208:charity
198:of the
47:improve
382:Career
352:rowing
266:, and
252:estate
36:, but
650:Death
527:Oscar
492:Paris
486:with
734:2022
708:2020
570:, a
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