The Ardens have a long history of being politically diverse.
In 1950, Don Stephens said about Ardencroft:
“You are welcome hither, for here in Ardencroft we do not ask about a man’s religion nor his beliefs nor do we hold to any theory of racial superiority.”
This philosophy was a continuation of the spirt of Arden and Ardentown, epitomized in the words of the stile:
“You are welcome hither”
Many Ardenenites have been politically active. Arden was home to Mother Bloor, a founder of the American Communist Party. Frank Stephens, who founded Arden, was a Single Taxer who followed the economic and political theories of Henry George and participated in the Delaware Single Tax Invasion of 1896.
Frank’s daughter-in-law Ingeborg (Inky) Stephens was an activist who first worked for women’s suffrage in the 1910s and then participated in anti-war protests in the 1960s, with other work in between.
On April 27th, 1935, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the Ardens. She was visiting WPA projects, of which the cobblestones around the Arden Green are one. Mrs. Roosevelt was greeted by Marie Holcomb of the local girl scout troop as seen below.
The newly inaugurated 46th President, Joseph Biden, lived for a short time with his family in a rental on Harvey Road in Ardentown. Maria Holcomb Burslem, niece to the girl scout who gave Mrs. Roosevelt flowers, remembers President Biden as the local paper boy.
The Arden Craft Shop Museum has in it’s archive a newspaper article from 1986, when then Senator Joe Biden, gave greetings to Charles Pettit on the occasion of his 100th birthday at the Candlelight Dinner Theatre.
The Arden Craft Shop Museum has in it’s archive a newspaper article from 1986, when then Senator Joe Biden, gave greetings to Charles Pettit on the occasion of his 100th birthday at the Candlelight Dinner Theatre.
In 2020, the museum opened an exhibition called “Equality in the Ardens” which highlights the work of suffragists and other activists from the Ardens in the early 20th century. This work allowed women across the United States to celebrate the 100th anniversary of casting their ballots in the federal election of 2020. This exhibition will be transitioning into the museum’s main gallery along with our other current exhibition “15 Treasures”. Be sure to see both of these through September 2021.
