By Chrissy Clawson, Programs and Communications Manager
Liz Jarvis retired on May 3 from the Chestnut Hill Conservancy after 30 years of caring for and growing the Conservancy’s Archives. The Archives will continue serving as a legacy and resource for our community for generations.
Early Career
Earning art history and fine arts degrees as an undergraduate and a Master’s Degree in art history and museum studies, Liz worked at the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where she was an exhibition registrar. She arranged transportation for Picassos, checked the conditions of Renoirs, and couriered shipments of Ansel Adams photographs on a cargo flight. She once couriered a Matisse from MoMA in a taxi across Manhattan with the painting curator and conservator to take it to a framer!
After a year at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Liz gained more experience as the Museum Curator for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for nine years. There, she organized and cataloged a large collection of artifacts and paintings, culminating in a long-term exhibition about Philadelphia’s history. These artifacts and paintings are now part of the Drexel University collection.
Early Years at the Chestnut Hill Historical Society
Having left the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Liz was a freelance curator for many institutions, including the Union League, Awbury Arboretum, Christ Church, and Hawk Mountain. In 1994, she joined the Chestnut Hill Historical Society (now the Chestnut Hill Conservancy) for a six-month freelance position funded by an anonymous donor. “After six months, no one asked me to leave,” says Liz, “so I kept working two days a week for the next 30 years.”
In her first year, Liz introduced public open hours, developed a collections policy, implemented a nationally standardized collection numbering system, and collected donor records to record important provenance information. Liz implemented the digitization of the collection early in her tenure when many institutions were struggling with how to do it. Much of this was achieved through the good work of over 85 volunteers and student interns whom Liz trained during her time there.
Accomplishments and Community Engagement
Liz and her husband Andrew restored their 1854 Italianate house in Chestnut Hill, which they bought in 1993. In 2000, they placed façade and open space easements on the property to protect this landmark for the future.
In 1997, Liz secured funding from the William Penn Foundation to hire an Assistant Archivist, allowing for Saturday open hours. She also worked to strengthen relations between the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, the Germantown Historical Society, and the Springfield Township Historical Society, serving on the boards of the latter two for over a decade.
Her most visible accomplishments are her three photographic history books: Chestnut Hill (with co-author Thomas Keels), Chestnut Hill Revisited, and Mount Airy. She gathered material from repositories all over Philadelphia. She solicited photographs and stories from area residents, uncovering previously undocumented information, broadening the understanding of our community’s social history, and extending the Conservancy’s reach to a new group of people. These books have preserved valuable historical photographs and narratives that might otherwise have been lost.
Liz led the award-winning restoration of the historic Yeakel Cemetery after planning a public program about 18th-century Chestnut Hill. “I learned of the hidden Yeakel Cemetery in Wyndmoor and, by coincidence, met Jack Yeakel there, a ninth-generation descendant,” she recalls. This led to the creation of the Yeakel Cemetery Preservation Committee and a decade-long effort to save the cemetery from deterioration, raising over $80,000 to catalog, repair, and conserve gravestones, remove problem trees, re-grade the site, rebuild the wall, and erect a historic marker.
Alex Bartlett, who has succeeded Liz as the Conservancy’s Curator and Archivist, highlights Liz’s push for technological advancements: “Migrating our data into PastPerfect [software] 24 years ago was critical. It allowed us to create a searchable database and helped establish a long-term exhibit, Discovering Chestnut Hill: Rural Village to Philadelphia Neighborhood.”
Mentorship and Legacy
Over the years, Liz mentored more than 85 volunteers and student interns who processed an ever-expanding collection of photographs, maps, drawings, letters, records, and other community documents. Liz emphasizes the importance of forging relationships in her work: “It is important to respond to donors and researchers promptly as we are a community service organization.”
Alex Bartlett first met Liz in 2009 when he responded to an article she wrote about seeking volunteers. “Liz has many attributes that contributed to her success here at the Conservancy and the success of our Archives, including her focus on accuracy and her love of the history of our area,” Alex says. “She totally ‘gets’ Chestnut Hill!”
“When I came to the Conservancy, I found a remarkable organization that integrated preservation, conservation, and archival collections,” said Lori Salganicoff, Executive Director of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy. “The Archives, developed under Liz’s professionalism and guidance, set us apart from similar organizations, strengthening advocacy efforts and enabling programs like Night of Lights. Liz’s work has created a lasting legacy that continues to grow, helping the Conservancy and the community better appreciate and protect our treasures. I’m excited to see where it goes from here.”
Looking Ahead
In retirement, Liz looks forward to spending more time painting, creating ceramics, gardening, and working on other projects. She also expresses confidence in the future of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy Archives under Alex’s leadership. “The Conservancy is fortunate to have Alex leading the Archives. He has deep roots in the community and has been here for 15 years,” she says. Liz feels a deep responsibility to the many who entrusted the Conservancy with their precious photographs, records, and other items. Liz plans to stay connected through volunteering on various projects.
Final Reflections
Liz appreciates the many board members and volunteers who saved old photos, documents, blueprints, etc., from Chestnut Hill’s past. She is grateful for the support and thanks from so many people who share her appreciation for what makes Chestnut Hill special. Liz’s legacy includes not only the Archives she helped to build and preserve but also the people she mentored and inspired.