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legends longhorns life on the trail sept23 w

Wayne shared the facts and explored the legends and lore surrounding the Texas cattle trails and Longhorn cattle!

The evening of Saturday, September 23, 2023 , at Chandor Gardens,  historian and author Wayne Ludwig presented “Legends, Longhorns & Life on the Trail” to a full house. Wayne is the author of the book The Old Chisholm Trail: From Cow Path to Tourist Stop.

wayne ludwig speaking sept23 2023 w

Wayne’s presentation discussed topics such as life on a cattle drive – the risks and rewards, differences between modern Longhorn cattle and the Longhorns that went up the trails, and explored the legend of the Chisholm Trail and the other major Texas cattle trails.

Wayne Ludwig is a Fort Worth native, cattle trails historian, and author of The Old Chisholm Trail: From Cow Path to Tourist Stop. He created the Texas Cattle Trails History Group on Facebook, and is a member of Western Writers of America and the Academy of Western Artists. The Old Chisholm Trail was awarded the Elmer Kelton Book of the Year award by the Academy of Western Artists, and was named a Finalist for the Robert A. Calvert Book Prize and for the 2018 Most Significant Scholarly Book by the Texas Institute of Letters. His first feature magazine article, “What We Know About the Ol’ Chisholm Trail,” appeared in the February 2019 issue of Wild West magazine.

wayne ludwig signing sept23 2023 w

A book signing immediately followed the presentation.

Of local interest, Tom B. Saunders IV (1934 - 2018) a 5th generation cattle rancher of Parker County and historian wrote the Foreword of Wayne's book The Old Chisholm Trail: From Cow Path to Tourist Stop, and we were honored to have Tom's wife Ann and two daughters Ann Catherine and Amy attend.

wayne ludwig saunders sept23 2023 w

 

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Have you ever wondered who might have been guests of Douglas & Ina Chandor?

The Friends of Chandor Gardens Meeting held on Wednesday, July 19 featured the exciting guest speaker presentation; “Revelations: The Chandor Guest Book” presented by Brenda S. McClurkin.

The presentation, "Revelations: The Chandor Guest Book" , provided insights into the social history of the Chandor household via the signed pages of the Chandor's guest book, which Brenda McClurkin serendipitously came into possession of a few years ago. Brenda has researched the background of those who signed this guest book, and shared details about who they were and the significance of these particular individuals having been guests of the Chandor's . 

The guest book undeniably revealed a number of "revelations"!!

Here are a few of the intriguing guests to the Chandor home revealed through the signed pages of their guest book:

guest book brittain yurka 1937 38 

guest book duchess pavlovna 1938

guest book boake carter 1938

guest book mann 1939

guest book roosevelts 1940 47

For those who would like to watch the full presentation click on the YouTube link below:

Our sincere appreciation and a huge "Thank-you" goes out to Brenda S. McClurkin for all the hours of research she undertook to bring insight and meaning to the signatures on the pages of the Guest Book and for sharing her findings with us. 

steinway fundraising project blog graphic

Chandor Gardens Foundation Inc. is excited to announce our newest fundraising project. As of May 2023 we are now activily raising funds to purchase a Steinway & Sons Model M Chippendale style piano for the studio/great room at Chandor Gardens. 

Project Details:

Historic Relevance to Chandor Gardens:

Ina Chandor was an accomplished classical pianist. She had a degree in Music from Texas Female Seminary and Conservatory of Music, Weatherford, TX. She took private lessons in classical music from Professor Harold von Mickwitz. Professor Mickwitz was Dean of Music at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, as well as a piano teacher at the Institute of Musical Art (Juilliard), New York.
Ina also met Eddy Duchin the distinguished American jazz pianist and bandleader of the 1930's and 1940's, known for his graceful and clever way of playing the piano referred to as the "Duchin style". Ina studied piano with Eddy Duchin for a bit. 
eddy duchin music
 
The Chandor's had a Steinway Chippendale Model M piano that sat in the studio/great room, and Ina often entertained guests and those sitting for portraits.

The Chandor Steinway piano was sold at the Chandor Estate Sale in 1984 for $9,950. The identity of the purchaser and where the piano went after the sale is unknown. 
 
 
Current Relevance to Chandor Gardens:
 
The Foundation is going to purchase a similar Steinway Model M Chippendale grand piano as what Ina once had, to be permanently located in the studio/great room, which will return the room to more closely resemble its original look and feel from when the Chandor's lived in the home.
 
The piano will not be a static display piece as it will be a functional concert performance quality piano, which will allow the Foundation to offer a broader range of music enrichment programs to the public including; performance opportunities for emerging artists, children’s music education classes i.e in partnership with The Cliburn, and other musical ensembles. 
 

Project Budget & Fundraising Progress:

The overall project budget is $50,000 and includes; a used Steinway & Sons Model M Chippendale piano, matching Chippendale piano bench, spider dolly, and establishment of a fund for regular Steinway & Sons certified tuning. 
 
Fundraising Progress:
 
donation thermometer piano 10