Reunited...

This month the "Olmsted Moment" truly is an "Olmsted" moment.  We recently hosted the Olmsted Family Reunion.  It was attended by 42 descendants of George and Iva Olmsted and other family members.  Ages ranged from about 70 to a year and a half.  It was an opportunity to meet the fourth and fifth generations of this family including grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great, great grandchildren from Minnesota, New York, Florida, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Oregon.

Day one began with arrivals at Bradford regional airport.  Arriving at Olmsted was followed by a brief tour, dinner, and introductions as members of the family introduced themselves beginning with the youngest on up.

Day two began with a breakfast buffet followed by morning activities including fishing expeditions, hiking, bowling, and labyrinth walking.  Lunch was an old fashioned picnic at Wildcat Park followed by a time of story telling and reminiscing by some of the senior members of the family.  After dinner the families visited and relaxed while the kids had an evening yoga class.

On day three after breakfast I presented a program on the history of Ludlow, the J. G. Curtis leather factory, along with some other family stories.  The day included family photos taken in front of the manor, a visit to the Olmsted family cemetery plot in Warren and  a lively game of capture the flag in the lower field.  (Important note: the Wakefield family members claimed victory in that contest which begged the question should the name of Olmsted Manor be changed to Wakefield Manor?)

On day four the last of the family departed and I think I can with confidence say: a good time was had by all.  This event was for me a dream come true.  Recognizing that getting all these family member together in Ludlow was no small feat, I wish to thank Nancy whose diligent efforts and planning made this all possible.  The staff of Olmsted was honored to have a chance to host this family event.

Jody Z Larson

Olmsted Manor Retreat Center

PO Box 8   --  17 East Main Street  --  Ludlow, Pennsylvania 16333    *   (814) 945-6512    *   info@olmstedmanor.org