Almost everyone knows the name Frank Stephens and the role he and Will Price played in founding the communities we now call the Ardens. We know Stephens to be a proponent of Henry George and his economic ideas, a sculptor, and the founder of several other single-tax enclaves. Today, however, few of us remember the extensive amount of writing he did – and not all of it in support of the single tax movement.
In 1935, after Stephens’ death, a collection of his poems was published in the book, Some Songs. These poems cover a wide variety of themes. There are birthday greetings, campaign songs, memorials, and even 13 poetic advertisements for the Arden Forge. The book also included essays about Stephens written by his friends. The book has long been a favorite among Arden Folk and indeed the Museum has a number of copies.
As the weather warms and the evenings grow longer, the following stanza from “The Day’s End” seems like a fitting way to remember Frank Stephens and all he has meant to the Ardens.
Would I might see and know the days,
As in some wonder-mirror clear,
That, alien, exiled as I stray,
Beyond those Hills of Far-away
Still lies the Land of Always-near.
We look forward to welcoming you to our masked, sanitized, and social distance space. Our regular hours are Sundays from 1-3 PM and Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9 PM.
- If you would like to visit the Museum during our regular hours, please send an email to [email protected] at least 24 hours before your visit. That way we can keep track of the number of visitors.
- We will only be able to receive up to 9 visitors at a time.
- We will be sanitizing all touch surfaces before and after visits.
- All visitors and staff must sanitize their hands before entering the Museum and wear a face mask while inside. We have hand sanitizer already inside the door.
