Richard Peters - Revision history

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 '''Richard Peters''' (June 22, 1744&ndash;August 22, 1828), a federal judge and Revolutionary War patriot, devoted himself to agricultural experiments at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], his family’s estate outside of Philadelphia, where he operated a model farm. Peters published extensively and became a leading authority on best practices for American agriculture.
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 ==History==
-[[File:0301.jpg|thumb|left|Fig. 1, William Russell Birch, “[[View]] from Belmont Pennsyl.<sup>a</sup> the [[Seat]] of Judge Peters,” in ''The Country [[Seat]]s of the United States'' (1808), pl. 16.]]
+[[File:0301.jpg|thumb|left|Fig. 1, William Russell Birch, “[[View]] from [[Belmont_(Philadelphia,_PA)|Belmont]] Pennsyl.<sup>a</sup> the [[Seat]] of Judge Peters,” in ''The Country [[Seat]]s of the United States'' (1808), pl. 16.]]
 Richard Peters was born at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], the estate on the [[Schuylkill River]] that his father, [[William Peters]], was then in the process of developing as a suburban villa and [[pleasure garden]] [Fig. 1]. Following [[William Peters|William’s]] return to England in 1768, Peters assumed responsibility for the property, which served as his primary residence for the next sixty years. He made significant changes to the house and gardens, adding wings to the north and south sides of the building and a [[piazza]] across the front, and substantially reducing the size of the ornamental gardens in order to devote more land to practical farming.<ref>Mark Reinberger, “Belmont: The Bourgeois Villa in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia,” ''Arris: Journal of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians'' 9 (1998): 22, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero].</ref> In contrast to his Loyalist father, Richard Peters was an ardent supporter of American independence. He served as secretary of the Board of War, working closely with [[Robert Morris]] to raise money and supplies for the Continental Army.<ref>Royce Shingleton, ''Richard Peters: Champion of the New South'' (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1985), 6, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Samuel Breck, ''Address Delivered before the Blockley and Merion Agricultural Society, on Saturday, September 29th, 1828, on the Death on [sic] Their Late President, The Hon. Richard Peters'' (Philadelphia: Lydia R. Bailey, 1828), 6&ndash;15, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero]; Richard Peters Jr., “Belmont Mansion,” ''Proceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia'' 30 (1925): 85&ndash;86, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref> He also represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress (1782&ndash;83) and served as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly from 1787 to 1792. Renowned for his lively wit and generous hospitality, Peters hosted many prominent Americans and foreign visitors at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], particularly during the years that Philadelphia served as the seat of the federal government (1790&ndash;1800).<ref>Richard Peters and Samuel Breck, “A Collection of Puns and Witticisms of Judge Richard Peters,” ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'' 253 (1901): 366&ndash;69, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero]; Rufus Wilmot Griswold, ''The Republican Court: Or American Society in the Days of Washington'' (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1855), 264&ndash;65, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/2FR244CI view on Zotero].</ref> Among those who strolled [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont’s]] gardens and discussed agriculture and politics with Peters were George Washington, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, John Jay, and the Marquis de Lafayette.<ref>Nellie Peters Black, ''Richard Peters, His Ancestors and Descendants: 1810&ndash;1889'' (Atlanta: Foote & Davies, 1904), 92, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/TM8MFVBZ view on Zotero]; Peters 1925: 88&ndash;89, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref>
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 <gallery widths="170px" heights="170px" perrow="4">
-Image:0301.jpg|William Russell Birch, “[[View]] from Belmont Pennsyl.<sup>a</sup> the [[Seat]] of Judge Peters,” in ''The Country [[Seat]]s of the United States'' (1808), pl. 16.
+File:0301.jpg|William Russell Birch, “[[View]] from [[Belmont_(Philadelphia,_PA)|Belmont]] Pennsyl.<sup>a</sup> the [[Seat]] of Judge Peters,” in ''The Country [[Seat]]s of the United States'' (1808), pl. 16.
 </gallery>

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 Richard Peters was born at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], the estate on the [[Schuylkill River]] that his father, [[William Peters]], was then in the process of developing as a suburban villa and [[pleasure garden]] [Fig. 1]. Following [[William Peters|William’s]] return to England in 1768, Peters assumed responsibility for the property, which served as his primary residence for the next sixty years. He made significant changes to the house and gardens, adding wings to the north and south sides of the building and a [[piazza]] across the front, and substantially reducing the size of the ornamental gardens in order to devote more land to practical farming.<ref>Mark Reinberger, “Belmont: The Bourgeois Villa in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia,” ''Arris: Journal of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians'' 9 (1998): 22, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero].</ref> In contrast to his Loyalist father, Richard Peters was an ardent supporter of American independence. He served as secretary of the Board of War, working closely with [[Robert Morris]] to raise money and supplies for the Continental Army.<ref>Royce Shingleton, ''Richard Peters: Champion of the New South'' (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1985), 6, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Samuel Breck, ''Address Delivered before the Blockley and Merion Agricultural Society, on Saturday, September 29th, 1828, on the Death on [sic] Their Late President, The Hon. Richard Peters'' (Philadelphia: Lydia R. Bailey, 1828), 6&ndash;15, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero]; Richard Peters Jr., “Belmont Mansion,” ''Proceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia'' 30 (1925): 85&ndash;86, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref> He also represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress (1782&ndash;83) and served as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly from 1787 to 1792. Renowned for his lively wit and generous hospitality, Peters hosted many prominent Americans and foreign visitors at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], particularly during the years that Philadelphia served as the seat of the federal government (1790&ndash;1800).<ref>Richard Peters and Samuel Breck, “A Collection of Puns and Witticisms of Judge Richard Peters,” ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'' 253 (1901): 366&ndash;69, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero]; Rufus Wilmot Griswold, ''The Republican Court: Or American Society in the Days of Washington'' (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1855), 264&ndash;65, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/2FR244CI view on Zotero].</ref> Among those who strolled [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont’s]] gardens and discussed agriculture and politics with Peters were [[George Washington]], John Quincy Adams, James Madison, John Jay, and the Marquis de Lafayette.<ref>Nellie Peters Black, ''Richard Peters, His Ancestors and Descendants: 1810&ndash;1889'' (Atlanta: Foote & Davies, 1904), 92, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/TM8MFVBZ view on Zotero]; Peters 1925: 88&ndash;89, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref>
-Peters actively experimented with new scientific methods of agriculture and animal husbandry intended to improve the productivity of American farms. The use of plaster of Paris as a fertilizing agent, which he recommended in a widely circulated pamphlet published in 1797 (with a dedication to his friend [[George Washington]]), influenced the methods of other gentlemen farmers, including [[George Washington|Washington]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]], with whom he frequently corresponded on agricultural matters.<ref>Benjamin R. Cohen, ''Notes from the Ground: Science, Soil, and Society in the American Countryside'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009), 38&ndash;40, 97, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/MGKGZIKZ view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''Agricultural Enquiries on Plaister of Paris: Also Facts, Observations and Conjectures on That Sub[s]tance, When Applied as Manure: Collected, Chiefly from the Practice of Farmers in Pennsylvania, and Published as Much with a View to Invite, as to Give Information'' (Philadelphia: Charles Cist and John Markland, 1797), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/P3C9I8MC view on Zotero].</ref> Peters went on to promote scientific methods of agriculture in ''A Discourse on Agriculture: Its Antiquity and Importance to Every Member of the Community'' (1816) and in over 100 reports published under the auspices of the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture (founded in 1785), of which he was a charter member, and president from 1805 to 1828. Under his leadership, the Society gained new momentum, organizing exhibitions of farm products and labor-saving machinery, analyzing seeds and plant specimens, and distributing foreign seeds to American farmers.<ref>Simon Baatz, ''“Venerate the Plough”; A History of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1785&ndash;1985'' (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1985), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/W3KPMSDN view on Zotero]; Shingleton, 1985, 7&ndash;8, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Breck 1828, 23&ndash;26, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero].</ref> Peters also founded the Merion Society for Promoting Agriculture and Rural Economy in 1790, serving as its president for 38 years, and as a judge of the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania from 1792 until his death in 1828.
+Peters actively experimented with new scientific methods of agriculture and animal husbandry intended to improve the productivity of American farms. The use of plaster of Paris as a fertilizing agent, which he recommended in a widely circulated pamphlet published in 1797 (with a dedication to his friend [[George Washington]]), influenced the methods of other gentlemen farmers, including [[George Washington|Washington]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]], with whom he frequently corresponded on agricultural matters.<ref>Benjamin R. Cohen, ''Notes from the Ground: Science, Soil, and Society in the American Countryside'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009), 38&ndash;40, 97, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/MGKGZIKZ view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''Agricultural Enquiries on Plaister of Paris: Also Facts, Observations and Conjectures on That Sub[s]tance, When Applied as Manure: Collected, Chiefly from the Practice of Farmers in Pennsylvania, and Published as Much with a View to Invite, as to Give Information'' (Philadelphia: Charles Cist and John Markland, 1797), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/P3C9I8MC view on Zotero].</ref> Peters went on to promote scientific methods of agriculture in ''A Discourse on Agriculture: Its Antiquity and Importance to Every Member of the Community'' (1816) and in more than 100 reports published under the auspices of the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture (founded in 1785), of which he was a charter member, and president from 1805 to 1828. Under his leadership, the Society gained new momentum, organizing exhibitions of farm products and labor-saving machinery, analyzing seeds and plant specimens, and distributing foreign seeds to American farmers.<ref>Simon Baatz, ''“Venerate the Plough”; A History of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1785&ndash;1985'' (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1985), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/W3KPMSDN view on Zotero]; Shingleton, 1985, 7&ndash;8, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Breck 1828, 23&ndash;26, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero].</ref> Peters also founded the Merion Society for Promoting Agriculture and Rural Economy in 1790, serving as its president for 38 years, and as a judge of the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania from 1792 until his death in 1828.
 In the late 1790s Peters spearheaded the planning and construction of a permanent [[bridge]] over the [[Schuylkill River]] (opened in 1805) which made it possible to commute to Philadelphia from country houses such as [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], rendering the west side of the [[Schuylkill River|Schuylkill]] truly suburban.<ref>Frank Griggs Jr., “The Permanent Bridge,” ''Structure Magazine'' (October 2013), http://www.structuremag.org/?p=817; Peters 1825, 86&ndash;87, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero]; Reinberger 1998, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''A Statistical Account of the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge: Communicated to the Philadelphia Society of Agriculture, 1806'' (Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1815), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/JCCE54JT view on Zotero].</ref> In recognition of his service, one of the [[bridge]] posts was decorated with a portrait of Peters in a bronze medallion.<ref>Breck 1828, 19&ndash;20, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero].</ref> Along with Benjamin Franklin, he was one of the first non-Quakers to join the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Peters also served for several years as president of the American Convention of Antislavery Societies, corresponded with many British abolitionists, and campaigned against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.<ref>Kathryn Kish Sklar and James Brewer Stewart, ''Women’s Rights and Transatlantic Antislavery in the Era of Emancipation'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 146, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/IDUZ3ADU view on Zotero]; Edward Needles, ''An Historical Memoir of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery'' (Philadelphia: Merrihew and Thompson, 1848), 29, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/N6FFE2GZ view on Zotero].</ref> His multifarious activities reportedly caused Peters to neglect [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], which some described as presenting a shabby appearance. When taken to task for the derelict appearance of his fields, the judge reportedly delivered the riposte, “How can you expect me . . . to attend to all these things when my time is so taken up in telling others how to farm?"<ref>Harold Donaldson Eberlein and Horace Mather Lippincott, ''The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighbourhood'' (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1912), 149, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/H8PJNXCV view on Zotero].</ref>

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:18, October 8, 2018
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−	*[[Andrew Jackson Downing\|Downing, ~~A. J.~~]], 1844, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening'' (1844: 31–32, 33)<ref>Andrew Jackson Downing, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America'', 2nd ed. (New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1844), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/X7DED2X9 view on Zotero].</ref>	+	*[[Andrew Jackson Downing\|Downing, Andrew Jackson]], 1844, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening'' (1844: 31–32, 33)<ref>Andrew Jackson Downing, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America'', 2nd ed. (New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1844), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/X7DED2X9 view on Zotero].</ref>

	:“The [[seat]] of the late Judge Peters [[Belmont (Philadelphia)\|[Belmont]]], about five miles from Philadelphia, was, 30 years ago, a noted specimen of the [[ancient style\|ancient]] school of [[landscape gardening]]. Its proprietor had a most extended reputation as a scientific agriculturist, and his place was also no less remarkable for the design and culture of its [[pleasure ground\|pleasure-grounds]], than for the excellence of its farm. Long and stately [[avenue]]s, with [[vista]]s terminated by [[obelisk]]s, a garden adorned with marble [[vase]]s, busts and [[statue]]s, and [[pleasure ground]]s filled with the rarest trees and shrubs, were conspicuous features here. Some of the latter are now so remarkable as to attract strongly the attention of the visitor. Among them, is the chestnut planted by [[George Washington\|Washington]] which produces the largest and finest fruit; very large hollies; and a curious old box tree much higher than the mansion near which it stands. But the most striking feature now, is the still remaining grand old [[avenue]] of hemlocks, (''Abies canadensis''.) Many of these trees, which were planted 100 years ago, are now venerable specimens, ninety feet high, whose huge trunks and wide spread branches, are in many cases densely wreathed and draped with masses of English Ivy, forming the most [[picturesque]], sylvan objects we ever beheld. . . .”		:“The [[seat]] of the late Judge Peters [[Belmont (Philadelphia)\|[Belmont]]], about five miles from Philadelphia, was, 30 years ago, a noted specimen of the [[ancient style\|ancient]] school of [[landscape gardening]]. Its proprietor had a most extended reputation as a scientific agriculturist, and his place was also no less remarkable for the design and culture of its [[pleasure ground\|pleasure-grounds]], than for the excellence of its farm. Long and stately [[avenue]]s, with [[vista]]s terminated by [[obelisk]]s, a garden adorned with marble [[vase]]s, busts and [[statue]]s, and [[pleasure ground]]s filled with the rarest trees and shrubs, were conspicuous features here. Some of the latter are now so remarkable as to attract strongly the attention of the visitor. Among them, is the chestnut planted by [[George Washington\|Washington]] which produces the largest and finest fruit; very large hollies; and a curious old box tree much higher than the mansion near which it stands. But the most striking feature now, is the still remaining grand old [[avenue]] of hemlocks, (''Abies canadensis''.) Many of these trees, which were planted 100 years ago, are now venerable specimens, ninety feet high, whose huge trunks and wide spread branches, are in many cases densely wreathed and draped with masses of English Ivy, forming the most [[picturesque]], sylvan objects we ever beheld. . . .”

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 ==History==
 [[File:0301.jpg|thumb|left|Fig. 1, William Russell Birch, “View from Belmont Pennsyl.<sup>a</sup> the Seat of Judge Peters,” in ''The Country Seats of the United States'' (1808), pl. 16.]]
-Richard Peters was born at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], the estate on the [[Schuylkill River]] that his father, [[William Peters]], was then in the process of developing as a suburban villa and [[pleasure garden]] [Fig. 1]. Following [[William Peters|William’s]] return to England in 1768, Peters assumed responsibility for the property, which served as his primary residence for the next sixty years. He made significant changes to the house and gardens, adding wings to the north and south sides of the building and a [[piazza]] across the front, and substantially reducing the size of the ornamental gardens in order to devote more land to practical farming.<ref>Mark Reinberger, “Belmont: The Bourgeois Villa in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia,” ''Arris: Journal of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians'' 9 (1998): 22, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero].</ref> In contrast to his Loyalist father, Richard Peters was an ardent supporter of American independence. He served as secretary of the Board of War, working closely with [[Robert Morris]] to raise money and supplies for the Continental Army.<ref>Royce Shingleton, ''Richard Peters: Champion of the New South'' (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1985), 6, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Samuel Breck, ''Address Delivered before the Blockley and Merion Agricultural Society, on Saturday, September 29th, 1828, on the Death on [sic] Their Late President, The Hon. Richard Peters'' (Philadelphia: Lydia R. Bailey, 1828), 6&ndash;15, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero]; Richard Peters Jr., “Belmont Mansion,” ''Proceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia'' 30 (1925): 85&ndash;86, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref> He also represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress (1782&ndash;83) and served as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly from 1787 to 1792. Renowned for his lively wit and generous hospitality, Peters hosted many prominent Americans and foreign visitors at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], particularly during the years that Philadelphia served as the seat of the federal government (1790&ndash;1800).<ref>Richard Peters and Samuel Breck, “A Collection of Puns and Witticisms of Judge Richard Peters,” ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'' 253 (1901): 366&ndash;69, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero]; Rufus Wilmot Griswold, ''The Republican Court: Or American Society in the Days of Washington'' (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1855), 264&ndash;65, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/2FR244CI view on Zotero].</ref> Among those who strolled [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont’s]] gardens and discussed agriculture and politics with Peters were [[George Washington]], John Quincy Adams, James Madison, John Jay, and the Marquis de Lafayette.<ref>Nellie Peters Black, ''Richard Peters, His Ancestors and Descendants: 1810&ndash;1889'' (Atlanta: Foote & Davies, 1904), 92, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/TM8MFVBZ view on Zotero]; Peters 1925: 88&ndash;89, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref>
+Richard Peters was born at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], the estate on the [[Schuylkill River]] that his father, [[William Peters]], was then in the process of developing as a suburban villa and [[pleasure garden]] [Fig. 1]. Following [[William Peters|William’s]] return to England in 1768, Peters assumed responsibility for the property, which served as his primary residence for the next sixty years. He made significant changes to the house and gardens, adding wings to the north and south sides of the building and a [[piazza]] across the front, and substantially reducing the size of the ornamental gardens in order to devote more land to practical farming.<ref>Mark Reinberger, “Belmont: The Bourgeois Villa in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia,” ''Arris: Journal of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians'' 9 (1998): 22, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero].</ref> In contrast to his Loyalist father, Richard Peters was an ardent supporter of American independence. He served as secretary of the Board of War, working closely with [[Robert Morris]] to raise money and supplies for the Continental Army.<ref>Royce Shingleton, ''Richard Peters: Champion of the New South'' (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1985), 6, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Samuel Breck, ''Address Delivered before the Blockley and Merion Agricultural Society, on Saturday, September 29th, 1828, on the Death on [sic] Their Late President, The Hon. Richard Peters'' (Philadelphia: Lydia R. Bailey, 1828), 6&ndash;15, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero]; Richard Peters Jr., “Belmont Mansion,” ''Proceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia'' 30 (1925): 85&ndash;86, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref> He also represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress (1782&ndash;83) and served as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly from 1787 to 1792. Renowned for his lively wit and generous hospitality, Peters hosted many prominent Americans and foreign visitors at [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], particularly during the years that Philadelphia served as the seat of the federal government (1790&ndash;1800).<ref>Richard Peters and Samuel Breck, “A Collection of Puns and Witticisms of Judge Richard Peters,” ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'' 253 (1901): 366&ndash;69, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero]; Rufus Wilmot Griswold, ''The Republican Court: Or American Society in the Days of Washington'' (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1855), 264&ndash;65, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/2FR244CI view on Zotero].</ref> Among those who strolled [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont’s]] gardens and discussed agriculture and politics with Peters were [[George Washington]], John Quincy Adams, James Madison, John Jay, and the Marquis de Lafayette.<ref>Nellie Peters Black, ''Richard Peters, His Ancestors and Descendants: 1810&ndash;1889'' (Atlanta: Foote & Davies, 1904), 92, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/TM8MFVBZ view on Zotero]; Peters 1925: 88&ndash;89, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero].</ref>
 Peters actively experimented with new scientific methods of agriculture and animal husbandry intended to improve the productivity of American farms. The use of plaster of Paris as a fertilizing agent, which he recommended in a widely circulated pamphlet published in 1797 (with a dedication to his friend [[George Washington]]), influenced the methods of other gentlemen farmers, including [[George Washington|Washington]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]], with whom he frequently corresponded on agricultural matters.<ref>Benjamin R. Cohen, ''Notes from the Ground: Science, Soil, and Society in the American Countryside'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009), 38&ndash;40, 97, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/MGKGZIKZ view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''Agricultural Enquiries on Plaister of Paris: Also Facts, Observations and Conjectures on That Sub[s]tance, When Applied as Manure: Collected, Chiefly from the Practice of Farmers in Pennsylvania, and Published as Much with a View to Invite, as to Give Information'' (Philadelphia: Charles Cist and John Markland, 1797), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/P3C9I8MC view on Zotero].</ref> Peters went on to promote scientific methods of agriculture in ''A Discourse on Agriculture: Its Antiquity and Importance to Every Member of the Community'' (1816) and in over 100 reports published under the auspices of the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture (founded in 1785), of which he was a charter member, and president from 1805 to 1828. Under his leadership, the Society gained new momentum, organizing exhibitions of farm products and labor-saving machinery, analyzing seeds and plant specimens, and distributing foreign seeds to American farmers.<ref>Simon Baatz, ''“Venerate the Plough”; A History of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1785&ndash;1985'' (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1985), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/W3KPMSDN view on Zotero]; Shingleton, 1985, 7&ndash;8, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Breck 1828, 23&ndash;26, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero].</ref> Peters also founded the Merion Society for Promoting Agriculture and Rural Economy in 1790, serving as its president for 38 years, and as a judge of the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania from 1792 until his death in 1828.
-In the late 1790s Peters spearheaded the planning and construction of a permanent [[bridge]] over the [[Schuylkill River]] (opened in 1805) which made it possible to commute to Philadelphia from country houses such as [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], rendering the west side of the [[Schuylkill River|Schuylkill]] truly suburban.<ref>Frank Griggs Jr., “The Permanent Bridge,” ''Structure Magazine'' (October 2013), http://www.structuremag.org/?p=817; Peters 1825, 86&ndash;87, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero]; Reinberger 1998, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''A Statistical Account of the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge: Communicated to the Philadelphia Society of Agriculture, 1806'' (Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1815), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/JCCE54JT view on Zotero].</ref> In recognition of his service, one of the [[bridge]] posts was decorated with a portrait of Peters in a bronze medallion.<ref>Breck 1828, 19&ndash;20, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero].</ref> Along with Benjamin Franklin, he was one of the first non-Quakers to join the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Peters also served for several years as president of the American Convention of Antislavery Societies, corresponded with many British abolitionists, and campaigned against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.<ref>Kathryn Kish Sklar and James Brewer Stewart, ''Women’s Rights and Transatlantic Antislavery in the Era of Emancipation'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 146, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/IDUZ3ADU view on Zotero]; Edward Needles, ''An Historical Memoir of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery'' (Philadelphia: Merrihew and Thompson, 1848), 29, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/N6FFE2GZ view on Zotero].</ref> His multifarious activities reportedly caused Peters to neglect [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], which some described as presenting a shabby appearance. When taken to task for the derelict appearance of his fields, the judge reportedly delivered the riposte, “How can you expect me . . . to attend to all these things when my time is so taken up in telling others how to farm?"<ref>Harold Donaldson Eberlein and Horace Mather Lippincott, ''The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighbourhood'' (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1912), 149, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/H8PJNXCV view on Zotero].</ref>
+In the late 1790s Peters spearheaded the planning and construction of a permanent [[bridge]] over the [[Schuylkill River]] (opened in 1805) which made it possible to commute to Philadelphia from country houses such as [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], rendering the west side of the [[Schuylkill River|Schuylkill]] truly suburban.<ref>Frank Griggs Jr., “The Permanent Bridge,” ''Structure Magazine'' (October 2013), http://www.structuremag.org/?p=817; Peters 1825, 86&ndash;87, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero]; Reinberger 1998, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''A Statistical Account of the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge: Communicated to the Philadelphia Society of Agriculture, 1806'' (Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1815), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/JCCE54JT view on Zotero].</ref> In recognition of his service, one of the [[bridge]] posts was decorated with a portrait of Peters in a bronze medallion.<ref>Breck 1828, 19&ndash;20, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero].</ref> Along with Benjamin Franklin, he was one of the first non-Quakers to join the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Peters also served for several years as president of the American Convention of Antislavery Societies, corresponded with many British abolitionists, and campaigned against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.<ref>Kathryn Kish Sklar and James Brewer Stewart, ''Women’s Rights and Transatlantic Antislavery in the Era of Emancipation'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 146, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/IDUZ3ADU view on Zotero]; Edward Needles, ''An Historical Memoir of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery'' (Philadelphia: Merrihew and Thompson, 1848), 29, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/N6FFE2GZ view on Zotero].</ref> His multifarious activities reportedly caused Peters to neglect [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], which some described as presenting a shabby appearance. When taken to task for the derelict appearance of his fields, the judge reportedly delivered the riposte, “How can you expect me . . . to attend to all these things when my time is so taken up in telling others how to farm?"<ref>Harold Donaldson Eberlein and Horace Mather Lippincott, ''The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighbourhood'' (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1912), 149, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/H8PJNXCV view on Zotero].</ref>
 —''Robyn Asleson''
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
-*[[Andrew Jackson Downing|Downing, A. J.]], 1844, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening'' (1844: 31&ndash;32, 33)<ref>Andrew Jackson Downing, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America'', 2nd ed. (New York and London: Wiley and Putnam, 1844), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/X7DED2X9 view on Zotero].</ref>
+*[[Andrew Jackson Downing|Downing, A. J.]], 1844, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening'' (1844: 31&ndash;32, 33)<ref>Andrew Jackson Downing, ''A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America'', 2nd ed. (New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1844), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/X7DED2X9 view on Zotero].</ref>
 :“The [[seat]] of the late Judge Peters [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|[Belmont]]], about five miles from Philadelphia, was, 30 years ago, a noted specimen of the [[ancient style|ancient]] school of [[landscape gardening]]. Its proprietor had a most extended reputation as a scientific agriculturist, and his place was also no less remarkable for the design and culture of its [[pleasure ground|pleasure-grounds]], than for the excellence of its farm. Long and stately [[avenue]]s, with [[vista]]s terminated by [[obelisk]]s, a garden adorned with marble [[vase]]s, busts and [[statue]]s, and [[pleasure ground]]s filled with the rarest trees and shrubs, were conspicuous features here. Some of the latter are now so remarkable as to attract strongly the attention of the visitor. Among them, is the chestnut planted by [[George Washington|Washington]] which produces the largest and finest fruit; very large hollies; and a curious old box tree much higher than the mansion near which it stands. But the most striking feature now, is the still remaining grand old [[avenue]] of hemlocks, (''Abies canadensis''.) Many of these trees, which were planted 100 years ago, are now venerable specimens, ninety feet high, whose huge trunks and wide spread branches, are in many cases densely wreathed and draped with masses of English Ivy, forming the most [[picturesque]], sylvan objects we ever beheld. . . .”

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 ==Other Resources==
 [http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85363458.html Library of Congress Name Authority File]
@@ Line 66: / Line 65: @@
 ==Notes==
 <references/>
 [[Category:People|Peters, Richard]]

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 Peters actively experimented with new scientific methods of agriculture and animal husbandry intended to improve the productivity of American farms. The use of plaster of Paris as a fertilizing agent, which he recommended in a widely circulated pamphlet published in 1797 (with a dedication to his friend [[George Washington]]), influenced the methods of other gentlemen farmers, including [[George Washington|Washington]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]], with whom he frequently corresponded on agricultural matters.<ref>Benjamin R. Cohen, ''Notes from the Ground: Science, Soil, and Society in the American Countryside'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009), 38&ndash;40, 97, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/MGKGZIKZ view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''Agricultural Enquiries on Plaister of Paris: Also Facts, Observations and Conjectures on That Sub[s]tance, When Applied as Manure: Collected, Chiefly from the Practice of Farmers in Pennsylvania, and Published as Much with a View to Invite, as to Give Information'' (Philadelphia: Charles Cist and John Markland, 1797), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/P3C9I8MC view on Zotero].</ref> Peters went on to promote scientific methods of agriculture in ''A Discourse on Agriculture: Its Antiquity and Importance to Every Member of the Community'' (1816) and in over 100 reports published under the auspices of the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture (founded in 1785), of which he was a charter member, and president from 1805 to 1828. Under his leadership, the Society gained new momentum, organizing exhibitions of farm products and labor-saving machinery, analyzing seeds and plant specimens, and distributing foreign seeds to American farmers.<ref>Simon Baatz, ''"Venerate the Plough"; A History of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1785&ndash;1985'' (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1985), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/W3KPMSDN view on Zotero]; Shingleton, 1985, 7&ndash;8, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/WN5FMNI2 view on Zotero]; Breck 1828, 23&ndash;26, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/6ZDNIWV3 view on Zotero].</ref> Peters also founded the Merion Society for Promoting Agriculture and Rural Economy in 1790, serving as its president for 38 years, and as a judge of the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania from 1792 until his death in 1828.
-In the late 1790s Peters spearheaded the planning and construction of a permanent [[bridge]] over the [[Schuylkill River]] (opened in 1805) which made it possible to commute to Philadelphia from country houses such as [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], rendering the west side of the [[Schuylkill River|Schuylkill]] truly suburban.<ref>Frank Griggs, Jr., "The Permanent Bridge," ''Structure Magazine'' (October 2013), http://www.structuremag.org/?p=817; Peters 1825, 86&ndash;87 [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero]; Reinberger 1998, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''A Statistical Account of the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge: Communicated to the Philadelphia Society of Agriculture, 1806'' (Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1815), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/JCCE54JT view on Zotero].</ref> In recognition of his service, one of the [[bridge]] posts was decorated with a portrait of Peters in a bronze medallion.<ref>Breck 1828, 19&ndash;20, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero].</ref> Along with Benjamin Franklin, he was one of the first non-Quakers to join the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Peters also served for several years as president of the American Convention of Antislavery Societies, corresponded with many British abolitionists, and campaigned against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.<ref>Kathryn Kish Sklar and James Brewer Stewart, ''Women's Rights and Transatlantic Antislavery in the Era of Emancipation'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 146, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/IDUZ3ADU view on Zotero]; Edward Needles, ''An Historical Memoir of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery'' (Philadelphia: Merrihew and Thompson, 1848), 29, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/N6FFE2GZ view on Zotero].</ref> His multifarious activities reportedly caused Peters to neglect [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], which some described as presenting a shabby appearance.  When taken to task for the derelict appearance of his fields, the judge reportedly delivered the riposte, "How can you expect me...to attend to all these things when my time is so taken up in telling others how to farm?"<ref>Harold Donaldson Eberlein and Horace Mather Lippincott, ''The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighbourhood'' (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1912), 149, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/H8PJNXCV view on Zotero].</ref>
+In the late 1790s Peters spearheaded the planning and construction of a permanent [[bridge]] over the [[Schuylkill River]] (opened in 1805) which made it possible to commute to Philadelphia from country houses such as [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], rendering the west side of the [[Schuylkill River|Schuylkill]] truly suburban.<ref>Frank Griggs, Jr., "The Permanent Bridge," ''Structure Magazine'' (October 2013), http://www.structuremag.org/?p=817; Peters 1825, 86&ndash;87, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/NFTXIF6S view on Zotero]; Reinberger 1998, 33, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/UWBTRV23 view on Zotero]. See also Richard Peters, ''A Statistical Account of the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge: Communicated to the Philadelphia Society of Agriculture, 1806'' (Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1815), [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/JCCE54JT view on Zotero].</ref> In recognition of his service, one of the [[bridge]] posts was decorated with a portrait of Peters in a bronze medallion.<ref>Breck 1828, 19&ndash;20, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/INU66QCU view on Zotero].</ref> Along with Benjamin Franklin, he was one of the first non-Quakers to join the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Peters also served for several years as president of the American Convention of Antislavery Societies, corresponded with many British abolitionists, and campaigned against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.<ref>Kathryn Kish Sklar and James Brewer Stewart, ''Women's Rights and Transatlantic Antislavery in the Era of Emancipation'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 146, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/IDUZ3ADU view on Zotero]; Edward Needles, ''An Historical Memoir of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery'' (Philadelphia: Merrihew and Thompson, 1848), 29, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/N6FFE2GZ view on Zotero].</ref> His multifarious activities reportedly caused Peters to neglect [[Belmont (Philadelphia)|Belmont]], which some described as presenting a shabby appearance.  When taken to task for the derelict appearance of his fields, the judge reportedly delivered the riposte, "How can you expect me...to attend to all these things when my time is so taken up in telling others how to farm?"<ref>Harold Donaldson Eberlein and Horace Mather Lippincott, ''The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighbourhood'' (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1912), 149, [https://www.zotero.org/groups/54737/items/itemKey/H8PJNXCV view on Zotero].</ref>
 --''Robyn Asleson''