Thomas F. Byrne Mansion

12/01/2023

The torch or candlestick passed from the original organizing committee of the Phoenixville Candlelight Holiday House Tour to the Phoenixville Area Senior Center. Key members remain on the tour committee, but the beneficiary is now the Phoenixville Area Senior Center. You can expect the same quality....

12/10/2020

Our beautiful building received the Beautification Achievement Award in the Commercial Category! I hope we are making Mr. Byrne proud!

Christmas came early for us!

Thank you to the Borough of Phoenixville and the Beautification Advisory Committee for recognizing our building. We love this beautiful building and it’s fascinating history ❤️

01/30/2020

Did you say tour? The Thomas F. Byrne Mansion will be open for tours the 1st Wednesday of each month at 3pm. All are welcome.

01/03/2020

Part 2 An O'Neill Christmas Story

Christmas eve was an early to bed night since we had to get up for 6:30 Mass, when I was serving on the alter we had to be there at 5:30AM, it was only a short block walk to St. Ann’s, but it was always hard to get up. Arriving home after Mass we would race to the library but the door was locked! We were told we had to eat breakfast before we could see what Santa brought. The family had to line up in hall way, and guess who was always last. The library was filled with excitement with a big decorated tree in the middle of the west wall and chairs all around the room holding presents, for all nine of us, overflowing on to the floor for David, Frank and me.
Mother, Dad, Marion and Aunt Kate had their own chairs with presents. Dad would set up my brother Byrne’s train* set on the big table to the right as you entered.

We were allowed to open one at a time, hoping that it was the one we had asked for in our letters to Santa, usually it was socks or some other clothing. We all had a gift under the Tree that we were allowed to open next, with great joy this one was a gift we had asked for. The stockings were opened later when all the trash was cleaned up. Growing up it amazed me thinking about how our parents were able to do all that work without us Santa believers knowing what was going on?
It always seemed that David would get the biggest toy that we wanted to play with, and we did after He went to see his friends. After lunch Frank & I were allowed to visit Joe Kepps home, on Second Ave. His Dad would set up a wonderful standard gauge Lionel set, that was a sight to see, we couldn’t touch, but what a thrill to watch it run.

Entering the dining room for Christmas dinner was a sight to behold! Mother and Aunt Kate had the table decorated with a large paper turkey and a basket behind filled with small gifts. Each gift had a ribbon with a card that went to everyone’s place, this was Mother’s” Jack Corner Pie”! The butler would bring in the Huge Turkey on a silver tray** and Dad would carve it with great expertise and pleasure while all the extras were served to us. We were reminded to save space for desert when asking for another helping. Desert was a choice of apple or pumpkin pies with heaps of ice cream. When everyone was finished, each of us in turn had to give a short talk on the Meaning of Christmas and what it meant to us, then we could pull our ribbon to see our funny gift, with nine boys and Marion it seemed like forever to get to me. When dinner was finished it was to our toys until bed time. What a wonderful day!

*Starting in 1937 after Thanksgiving, Frank & I were allowed to set up Byrne’s train on the ping-pong table in the basement, giving us more fun time. The next year we moved the table to the larger area where the shuffle board was, this was the start of our large train layout that we would keep adding to as we saved our allowances to buy more track and cars, all this fun ended when we moved in 1948, and had to sell our set.

** I still have the Silver serving platter.

Hugh G O’Neill

12/16/2019

We asked Hugh O'Neill if he would share his memories of Christmas time at 400 Main Street. We thank him for taking us back in time and here is part one of his memories. Enjoy!


"I fondly remember preparing for Christmas during the middle 1930's. It was a very busy time visiting Kinert's on Bridge Street, the local hardware and toy store where they had the most wonderful train layout with all the latest Lionel trains and buildings. We visited Woolworth's 5&10 cent store, and all the other kid type stores while enjoying the various Christmas displays and then raced home to see what was cooking in the kitchen and finger taste all that we could before the cook chased us out. We had to sit down and write a card to all our classmates at St. Ann's and all our friends, cousins etc. Aunt Kate supervised this detail and made sure it was done. "

"Early in December Mother would take us shopping to John Wanamaker in Philadelphia. Sam would pull up in front of St Ann’s school in his uniform and come to our classrooms to take us, Frank & I, to join Mother in the big Lincoln. If it was cold we would be covered with large warm car robes, and off we went to see Santa and the wonderful displays. Sam would drive to the main entrance opposite City Hall, and where he ever parked I’ll never know, anyway we knew that Mother would have set a time for him to pick us up. The entrance was behind two huge columns, at least three stories high, that you would drive behind to reach the entrance. The store was fascinating for a Kid to see, the huge central hall that went all the way to the big skylight at least eight of the ten stories, with all the balcony’s decorated for Christmas. We would spend three to four hours visiting Santa, trying on clothes, following Mother while she shopped for the family, and herself at the sheet music department for something new for her to play, and finally after many “Do we have to’s”, enjoying their famous organ playing beautiful Christmas music."