Sarah Dennen (1882-1970) was a descendant of G.W. Peirce, the original owner of Peirce's Park (now Longwood Gardens). Sarah F. Stebbins was born to Channing Stebbins (1844-1927) and Sarah Farnsworth Smith (1844-1928). She married Arthur W. Dennen (1880-1922) in 1910 in Kennett, Pennsylvania. Over her career, Dennen worked for the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce, director of women's activities for the WPA, and purchased John D. Rockefeller's birthplace in hopes of moving it to Coney Island. She died in 1970.

Peirce's Park, an arboretum and pleasure park on 190 acres of rolling hills 30 miles west of Philadelphia, opened in 1798 by twin brothers Joshua Peirce (1766-1851) and Samuel Peirce (1766-1838). The property had been owned by the Perice family for three generations (George, Joshua, Caleb) prior to the siblings opening the park. George Peirce (1650-1733) purchased the land from William Penn's (1644-1718) commissioners.

The property passed on to Joshua Peirce's son, George W. Peirce (1814-1880), who maintained the park. George died without children and the property passed to his sister, Mary Bennett Peirce (1811-1897). Mary married Sumner Stebbins (1809-1884) and had Channing Stebbins.

Mary did not have interest in maintaining the park and arboretum, so it began to deteriorate. The family sold the property, which went through several hands in quick succession, and a lumber mill operator was about to cut down the trees for timber in early 1906. Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954) was spurred to action and purchased the property, later creating what is today known as Longwood Gardens.