Mary Meese Swain’s Legacy

The Decorative Arts Trust is honored to announce a gift through the estate of longtime member Mary Meese Swain of Kennett Square, PA. Mary joined the Trust in 1991 as a frequent and intrepid symposium attendee, with lectures and tours complimenting her lifelong love of history. Mary was one of the earliest participants in the Trust’s Study Trip Abroad program after it debuted in the late 1990s, traveling with friends and family, and cultivating new friendships with kindred spirits along the way. Journeys to the United Kingdom were Mary’s favorite, including the infamous “Chip Trip” in 2018 celebrating Thomas Chippendale’s tercentenary, which she shared with her sister, Ann Michell, another devoted Trust member. In addition to her time spent traveling with the Trust, you will likely have met her as a devoted guide at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library for more than 25 years, and as a regular attendee at Colonial Williamsburg’s Antiques Forum.

Mary supported the Trust throughout the past 30 years, and in 2018 chose to include a bequest to the Trust in her will to support the organization in an area of greatest need. Our Legacy Society honors members who have included the Trust in their estate plans and makes a meaningful impact on the Trust’s present and future. Mary’s generosity helps provide greater stability to the Trust to weather the challenges faced by nonprofit organizations. Her largesse also supports the highest ideals of the Trust mission by helping keep membership and programs as accessible as possible. As we recognize Mary’s enduring generosity, we pay respect to her commitment to the Trust and her passion for history, travel, and education.

“​​Thinking of Mary Meese Swain makes me smile. She and I joined the Decorative Arts Trust in the same year, 1991, and for the next three decades we shared a love for the Trust, Winterthur, and the Antiques Forum at Colonial Williamsburg. She became a dear friend, as has her sister, Ann Michell, whom Mary introduced to the Trust. I always enjoyed encountering Mary and looked forward to her greeting: ‘how are you, sweetie?’ Her friendly words and that twinkle in her eye warmed my heart. We will miss her greatly, but at the Trust her legacy lives on through her generous bequest.”
– Brock Jobe, President of the Trust’s Board of Governors and Professor Emeritus of American Decorative Arts, Winterthur