Miss Marion Darst

Miss Marion Darst Has Loved

Every Minute Of Her 96 Years

MISS MARION CURTIS DARST

BY ALICE L. GILBERT

"I'm getting pretty close to 100 now, and I've loved every minute of it," Miss Marion Curtis Darst, of 363 N. Main st., Doylestown, said yesterday on her 96th birthday, and she did look amazingly spry and pretty and happy.

She uses two canes to walk, but considering she was suffering with a broken leg just before her 90th birthday, she is doing all right for herself.

As she settled herself in front of the portrait of "Uncle Davis Brower" which she painted herself, she recalled her early days when she went to art school and studied under well known artists in New York.

Originally from Circleville, Ohio, Miss Darst studied and had a studio with her brother in New York.

"I loved New York," she said, "I did a good deal of portrait work, mostly of my girl friends."

She didn't mention the portraits of Judge Harman Yerkes and General W. W. H. Davis, Bucks county historian, the first hanging in the judges' chambers in Court Room No. 1, Doylestown, the other in the historical building.

She did greet "Uncle Davis," only portrait left in the house which is her work of art. He helped found the First Baptist Church of Doylestown and his portrait will one day be given the church.

With eyesight still keen enough to read, Miss Darst likes the National Geographic Magazine and other current magazines. She dabbles in painting, too, once in a while. Less than two years ago People from Maryland came to show her one of her paintings they had purchased at a sale. It needed retouching, so they had a commercial artist do the touchup job. The still life of flowers did not quite satisfy the soul of the artist, so Miss Darst did it herself. Not bad for a noagenarian.

Miss Darst had a number of gifts to make her 96th birthday especially happy, There was a big bouquet of pretty red gladioll from Mrs. Leroy Kister, a basket of fruit from the Friendship Thimble Social, and gifts from the Lewis Graham family who live in the same house. Mrs. Graham said that the Thimble Social remembers Miss Darst every birthday without fail.

A birthday cake, which couldn't possibly hold 96 candels stood on a chest by the door. It was trimmed with red roses and the usual "Happy Birthday."

"All my paintings are gone now," the artist confessed, "I sent them to relatives. I guess I won't live too much longer - I might make 100, though, and then you can come and take another picture."

She thinks more people are interested in art now, but fewer young people are going in for serious study.

"I never worked so much for money as for the pleasure I got from it," she said. "I didn't like too steady work."

Nonetheless, she has quite a few pictures to her credit. even though only Uncle Davis lives with her.

Miss Darst's grandfather was Christian Brower, who owned the Fountain House in its early days. so even before 1904, when she came here to live, Miss Darst was familiar with Doylestown. She loved it then, and stayed on, and as of yesterday. she still loves it, second only perhaps to New York.

13 OCT 1956 - Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, Pennsylvania