A long-forgotten Alice in Wonderland-inspired garden gets tender loving care in Bensalem
Seven years ago, my family and I searched for fabled Sarobia in Bensalem. Specifically, we were energized by reports of an abandoned “Alice in Wonderland” sculpture garden created in the 1920s by Sara and Robert Logan beside their mansion. We were to look for a statue of Humpty Dumpty atop the garden’s adobe wall.
My excited grandchildren Margaux and Dashiell were the first to spot Humpty in the deep woods of Neshaminy State Park. We spent the next few hours wandering the site, curious about its deteriorating relics. The Logan mansion, carriage house, barn and outbuildings had long fallen to ruin and been removed. In what was left ― the garden ― we found hieroglyphs carved in stone, a dry reflection pond and wall fountain, and a cement-and-brick pedestal that might have held a sundial. There were reports of a human-sized chess board. We could find no such evidence.
That changed four years ago during the pandemic. YouTube filmmaker Tom Nally was wandering park trails a short drive from his home and stumbled upon the garden. He was astounded. He began researching Sarobia at the local historical society, then decided to rejuvenate the garden after becoming a park volunteer. He’s chronicled his work in 48 episodes of “This Is Tom’s World” on YouTube. He recently discussed his work with me and adventure pal Wynne Wert while strolling the garden.
“I put a lot of time, work and heart into everything I do on my channel and Sarobia is by far, closest to my heart,” he told us. His first goal was to unearth the chess board -- if it still existed. After the Logans established Sarobia, they would send out chess invitations. VIP guests were to dress the role of a pawn, bishop, knight, rook, queen, or king in costumes provided by the couple. These “board pieces” would take position on brick-and-grass squares of the chess board. The human pieces would move as directed by players. Small tables with libations staffed by servants trailed the pieces.
On July 3, 2020, Tom began his hunt. “I started digging with my hands and fingers since I didn’t have my tools yet. I was pulling grass away in what I thought was the location of one edge of the board from a picture I saw. A brick turned up. This was it!” With the help of recruited volunteers, he restored the entire game board. The group later refurbished three lawn panels containing stone spades once planted with black flowers, an allegory to the “Alice in Wonderland” novel. Volunteers also replanted a raised garden, restored a spring-fed water garden, and added a sundial atop the pedestal that once contained one. Benches from sponsors now dot the landscape of several acres.
The hope is for historical signage to display Sarobia’s history.
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The estate was the fountainhead of Philadelphia naturalists Robert and Sara. He was a Harvard-trained Wall Street lawyer and direct descendant of William Penn’s secretary, James Logan. Sara grew up the privileged daughter of the Welherill family of Rittenhouse Square. The newlyweds received the 155-acre property at the confluence of the Delaware River and Neshaminy Creek as a wedding gift. The centerpiece was their expansive mansion, a barn converted for amateur theater, a large greenhouse, and the sculpture garden.
Later in life, the Logans became activists in Indian religious beliefs including reincarnation and respect for animal life. Sara and Robert converted Sarobia into a live-in art colony in the 1930s. They took to dressing in white cotton fabrics symbolizing purity and avoided anything made from animals including leather shoes. Preferred dress was Indian saris and sandals. The couple idolized Egyptian cat goddess Bastet. Iron statues of two black cats on pedestals guarded Sarobia’s entrance. The name was a contraction of the first three letters of the couple’s first names.
After the death of his wife and daughter, Robert continued to live in the mansion. With no descendants at his death in 1955, he bequeathed Sarobia to the state as a wildlife preserve that became Neshaminy State Park.
Sources include “Traveling through Bensalem 1692-1984" by Kathy Leighton and John Dignam, and “This Is Tom’s World” found on the web at https://www.youtube.com/thisistomsworld
Carl LaVO can be reached at carllavo0@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Lost Garden of Sarobia unearthed and restored in Bensalem
