George Welsh Olmsted was born in
1874, in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, to
Fannie Frances and Samuel Ashbel Olmsted, the first sawmill owner in Elk
County. In 1901, George Olmsted, and six others, bought the J.G.
Curtis Leather Company in Ludlow, PA. He served as secretary of
the tannery for the remainder of his life.
On June 17,1904, he married Iva Catherine Groves, daughter of Mary
Angeline Pendleton and the Reverend Anthony Groves. Miss Groves
was a graduate of Clarion State Teacher’s College. Their first
child, Robert, was born in 1908 and his sister, Elizabeth (Betty), in
1912.
Mr.
Olmsted’s interest in the power industry led to his
purchase of three small electric companies in New York
and quickly expanded as he organized the Long Island
Lighting Company. Through some 50 purchases and mergers,
the company grew rapidly over the next 20 years and
eventually furnished electricity and gas to almost all
of Long Island east of the New York City
line.
During his
lifetime, George W. Olmsted, served as trustee of
Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, and was a trustee of
the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Kane. He
was deeply involved in the Boy Scout movement. He
developed the Boy Scout camp, Camp Olmsted, located
north of Warren, Pennsylvania, and later became chairman
of the National Camping Committee. At one time
there were thought to be more Eagle Scouts per capita in
Ludlow than anywhere else. George Olmsted died in
1940.
Iva
Catherine Olmsted, was an avid gardener and oversaw the
care of the landscaped grounds and gardens. At one
time, the Olmsteds employed up to 14 full-time
gardeners. She was an active, lifelong member of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and facilitated the
building and remodeling of the parsonages in her
father’s former parishes. Mrs. Olmsted lived on
the estate until 1960 when she moved to a nursing home
in the Chicago area. She and her daughter,
Elizabeth, began the process of turning the estate over
to the United Methodist Church before she died in
1970.
Robert
Groves Olmsted, graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy,
received his bachelor of arts degree from Yale and his
masters in business administration from Harvard.
Robert served as vice president of business and finance
for Columbia University and as president of Adelphi
University. He remained interested in the work of
Olmsted Manor Retreat Center until he died in
2003.
Elizabeth Olmsted Wakefield, graduated from Walnut Hill
School in Massachusetts and attended Vassar
College. She was an expert equestrienne and held
annual horse shows at Wildcat Park in Ludlow.
Elizabeth was married in September of 1933, in a
ceremony held on the grounds of Olmsted Manor, to an
Olympic skater, Lyman Wakefield. Elizabeth died in
1971.
Olmsted is a
retreat center providing sacred space for renewal
in an atmosphere of Christian Hospitality.