Pineapples, Elephants, and an Historical Treasure in Bucks County

Doylestown, PA—Pineapples are a fruit so perishable; they have become a symbol of luxury, aristocracy, and wealth throughout Europe and beyond. Back in the 1700s, a single pineapple could fetch a fortune. Any host who was able to present a freshly cut pineapple to his or her guests was one with status, power, influence, and connections.

According to Garrett McCord, the Author who wrote “The Unique History and Symbol of the Pineapple” for The Spruce Eats Newsletter, “The pineapple originally calls Brazil its home. It spread from there due to the movements of the Tupi Indigenous peoples, who also took it throughout parts of South and Central America as well as some surrounding islands. It was the Portuguese and Spanish who spread it throughout the world such as the Caribbean, Malaysia, the tropical parts of Asia, and India. In fact, it was the Spanish who eventually gave the fruit the name ‘pineapple’ due to their appearance, as they resembled pine cones.”

If you are at an historic inn or even a trendy new hotel, there will likely be an image or representation of a pineapple somewhere close by, it is the universal symbol of hospitality. At The Highland Farm Bed and Breakfast in Bucks County, pineapples abound! There are framed prints of pineapples throughout the inn, there are candle holders shaped like pineapples and on the balcony, there are what may be some of the most famous and precious pineapples of all…the ones that were previously on the Broadway set of the musical South Pacific.

How did those pineapples get there? The connection is amazing, as Highland Farm is arguably one of the most culturally significant properties in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and also where Oscar Hammerstein II lived for twenty of his most prolific years. It is where he wrote South Pacific, with Richard Rodgers. (The production won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Libretto, and it is the only musical production to win Tony Awards in all four acting categories.) Highland Farm is also the place where he penned Oklahoma!, Carousel and likely the most lovely production of all time, The Sound of Music.

We owe so many allegiances to the works of Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers. Poignant content over half a century ago still rings true and is relevant today. South Pacific’s plot is based on another Bucks County resident and author, James A. Michener, and his award winning 1947 book entitled Tales of the South Pacific. Combining elements of several of those stories, Rodgers and Hammerstein successfully merged elements of Michener’s stories and also believed they could write a musical that would embody a strong progressive message on racism. The piece won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Especially in the southern regions of the United States, South Pacific was extremely controversial and Rodgers and Hammerstein remained unapologetic.

Highland Farm, originally built in 1840, consists of a three-story, three bay, stucco masonry structure of Georgian style architecture. The roof is hipped, meaning it has no gables or other vertical sides. This modest mansion features a one-story wraparound porch with a decorative second story as a balustrade that was added in 1954 by Dorothy Hammerstein. Oscar’s wife Dorothy allegedly wanted a place for him to pace outside of his writing studio. The infamous South Pacific pineapples from the Broadway set are featured as part of the balustrade.

This past Saturday, season ticket holders from The Kimmel Center were afforded the opportunity to get an in-person tour conducted by Greg Roth, President of the Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center’s Board of Directors and Christine Junker, the organization’s Treasurer and Secretary. During the tour, Greg shared several little-known facts about the property and made connections to the anecdotal history of Bucks County and its cadre of contributions to many movements of cultural significance.

Greg shared some of the most interesting facts about the property, like how the bank barn at Highland Farm is especially tall because a family involved in circus performances formerly owned the property before the Hammerstein's purchased it, and elephants were housed in the barn! Oscar and Dorothy owned cows and chickens and also grew corn on some of the acreage.

Highland Farm is in jeopardy of being lost forever as an historical venue for the public to enjoy as The Museum must raise 1.2 million dollars (of a 2-million-dollar purchase total) in order to secure the property. With state grant funding and a recent Visit Bucks County Tourism grant, the nonprofit museum group, made up of a few handfuls of dedicated volunteers has terrific momentum and community support lending their funds and voices to this important landmark project.

The Kimmel Center tour is just one way of getting the message out to a wider audience, in hopes of securing one or several generous funders who can make the dream of keeping this property for all the world to experience and enjoy. That famous line from South Pacific seems more relevant than ever… “You got to have a dream, if you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?”

To become part of the dream of making sure The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center will purchase the property, you can donate here at: https://www.hammersteinmuseum.org. If you or your group would like to schedule an in-person tour of Highland Farm, reach out to Hammersteinmuseum@gmail.com and a board member will get in touch to schedule a time with you. The property is still a private residence, so please arrange a tour if you wish to visit.

Some of the visitors on Saturday from the Kimmel Center included Laura Kennedy, Kenneth Goldberg, Robin Morris, Samantha Kreda, Joseph Cross, Shelley and Richard Chaitt, Helen Weary, Karen Whitlock, Sheila Erespe, and Thomas DiMeo. Special thanks to Richard Chaitt who provided some of the photos for this article.