In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

SOME OLD QUAKER HOUSES57 SOME OLD QUAKER HOUSES IN THE PHILADELPHIA NEIGHBORHOOD By Horace Mather Lippincott 1 "Words," says Dr. Samuel Johnson in the preface to his dictionary , "are the daughters of earth, but the things they stand for are the sons of heaven." So the quaint and beautiful old houses in and about Philadelphia must be visited to be appreciated and the printed word can but inadequately bring their charm and inspiration to the reader. Hereabout there are more of these ancient structures preserved in good condition than perhaps can be found in any other quarter of America. This is surely true as regards their diversity and quality. Houses, like men, have personality ; and what characteristic can be more impressive? They reflect the taste and substance of their owners, and their stories are ofttimes the history of the community. Philadelphia's houses of the early times are as substantial as their builders and while many of them, owing to their Quaker owners, lack the ornament of the pretentious homes of the South, yet their very simplicity, comfort, and exquisite proportions bring a sense of beauty that is unsurpassed elsewhere. There is always a balance and lack of over-elaboration that comes with these qualities, which is particularly satisfying as a daily experience. At 322 DeLancey Street is the old Evans house, typical of the "plain Friend's" residence of olden time. The Evans family came from Wales in 1698 to Gwynedd, about twenty miles from the City, and the original farm is owned and lived upon today by Horace and Gwendolen Evans, direct in descent. Jonathan Evans, a grandson of the emigrant, moved to Philadelphia and built the DeLancey Street house. He became a leader among the Quakers and was the most prominent figure in the Separation of 1827, which divided the Society into "Orthodox" and "Hicksite" Friends. Many of the conferences of that bitter time were held in the old house. The Powel House at 244 South Third Street was built by Samuel Powel, who was the grandson of one of like name who 1 A paper read at the Annual Meeting of Friends' Historical Association in Twelfth Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, 26th of Eleventh Month, 1934. 58 BULLETIN OF FRIENDS' HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION came to Philadelphia in 1685 and was a member of the Society of Friends. It is a particularly spacious house and was of elegant construction. One of the rooms has been removed to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, and another to our own Art Museum. The house has been purchased and partially restored by our Society for the Preservation of Historic Landmarks. Mr. Powel was well connected and socially prominent. He became Mayor of the City and a distinguished patriot. During the British occupation the Earl of Carlisle had his quarters in Mr. Powel's house and during Washington's Presidency the house was the scene of many social gatherings attended by the President. John Adams, who could always be trusted to duly chronicle anything that tickled his palate, licks his chops, so to speak, in his diary over Mayor Powel's dinners. Here is one of his entries : September 8, Thursday.—Dined at Mr. Powel's with ----------- and many others ; a most sinful feast again ! everything which could delight the eye or allure the taste ; curds and creams, jellies, sweetmeats of various sorts, twenty sorts of tarts, fools, trifles, floating islands, whipped sillibub, etc., etc. Parmesan cheese, punch, wine, porter, beer, etc. Samuel succumbed to the allurements of the world, left Friends and became a member of St. Peter's parish. Ormiston, on the verge of a deep glen that separates it from Laurel Hill, is a square rough-cast building of two stories and a hipped roof, substantial and comfortable but without much architectural pretension. Its principal charm is its site overlooking the river far below. There are broad porches on both the land and river fronts, and in the days when its condition was properly kept up, it must have been a delightful place to pass the summer months. Towards the end of the Colonial period it was the home of Joseph Galloway, an eminent lawyer and one of the...

pdf

Share