Rachel Gladden to be honored for her efforts at Bradford House
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Rachel Gladden in the gardens at Bradford House
Rachel Gladden in the gardens at the Bradford House
Rachel Gladden on the front step of the Bradford House
By her own reckoning, Rachel Gladden is “a doer.”
And she comes from a family of givers.
“My parents were absolute givers,” the McDonald native explained. “I learned at an early age that that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to give.”
Gladden has been doing and giving for a number of years for a number of causes and institutions dear to the hearts of many people in the region, whether it’s serving as an elder and deacon at Church of the Covenant in East Washington, or as a chairman of the volunteers at Washington Hospital. One cause that has been of particular importance to Gladden is the David Bradford House, the National Historic Landmark in downtown Washington and the home of the leader of the Whiskey Rebellion.
To commemorate the years of time and dedication she has given to the David Bradford House, Gladden will be the first honoree at a Whiskey Rebellion dinner. Set for Friday, July 20, at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe, it will benefit the Bradford House Historical Association.
Gladden, wife of now-retired Washington County Judge Tom Gladden, first became interested in helping the David Bradford House in the early 1990s, when it was enduring a rough patch. To help its bottom line, Gladden started baking pies and selling them at $5 apiece.
“I went down and fell in love with the house,” Gladden explained last month. It was struggling financially, she said, and Tripp Kline, the now-retired Washington auctioneer, asked her to serve on the Bradford House’s board. She agreed, and has also been a docent, calendar maker and fundraiser for the Main Street building.
“We’ve been through thick and thin,” is how Gladden described her long tenure on the Bradford House board. Because the Bradford House dissolved its relationship to the state, its board is “constantly thinking of ways to raise funds.” The Whiskey Rebellion Dinner has been a fundraising tool, and the board decided for the first time to have someone honored at the dinner.
“I agreed to do this because I thought it would help the house,” Gladden said.
She is “the heart and soul” of the Bradford House, according to Kline.
“Rachel’s contribution is her leadership and passion,” he explained. “She singlehandedly identified the skill sets needed on the board, and went out and recruited most of the current board members. While there have been many individuals in our community that have made significant contributions to the Bradford House over its 50 years as a museum, Rachel Gladden’s impact ranks her at the top of the list.”
He added, “There’s a good reason that the other board members refer to Rachel as Mrs. Bradford.”
In fact, Gladden’s work at the Bradford House has extended to donning period garb and playing the role of Bradford’s wife, Elizabeth.
“It’s fun to put on a costume and be someone else,” she said. “It’s fun to tell the story of the Whiskey Rebellion.”
A cocktail reception at the dinner will start at 6 p.m., with the dinner getting underway at 7. For information, call Tracie Liberatore at 724-413-6463.