m-c 5J6 159 G3 J6 opy 1 A PLEA FOR THE PRESERVATION OF Germantown's Historic Spots BY CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS. W From an Address made at the initial meeting and directed to be PUBLISHED BY THE SITE AND RELIC SOCIETY. Gbrmantown, 1900. Gift Author 10 M '04 Germantown s Historic Spots The difference between many of the old inhabitants of Germantown, those to the manor born, and the new-comers, is some- thing like this : The old inhabitant's interest in Germantown's historic spots is a combi- nation of inward satisfaction and outward complacency and indifference; that of the new-comer's is one of inward admiration and outward and outspoken enthusiasm. As I am but a carpet-bagger of a little more than ten years' standing, my enthusiasm has not yet had time to cool. This interest is strengthened, perhaps, by the fact that I am able to trace descent from three of the thirteen original Germantown settlers, who on the 24th of October, 1683, drew lots in Pastorius's cave for their future homes in the then unbroken forest. 3 The reason the outside world has not ap- preciated Germantown more, is because the town slumbered through a century and a half of indifference to its own greatness, and did not understand or appreciate what wealth of historical interest it contained. It early came within my experience, and I believe the same experience has come to every person present, to entertain friends from some distant place who have bubbled over with enthusiasm at the quaint old houses, the beautiful and stately mansions, the long and crooked main street, and the rather limited information and somewhat hazy tradition and anecdotes which we were able to give them. And when they have asked for books they could consult on the subject, we have had to refer them to Wat- son's "Annals," published more than half a century ago, in which it is difficult now to determine what places he is describing ; to Townsend Ward's "Walks in German- town," which only extend up the main 4 street a little beyond Chelten Avenue, and in which the numbers of the houses are now all wrong ; to the Rev. S. F. Hotchkins' not altogether satisfactory compilation of arti- cles from the Germantown Telegraph ; to "Pemberton," Mr. Peterson's story of a hundred years ago, or to the still later, but not historically accurate, "Hugh Wynne." One of the first things this organization should do is to prepare an accurate, con- venient and comprehensive guide-book. Do you know of any New England town of any historical importance without such a book ? And, on the other hand, do you not know of many places which have only half the interest of ours clustering around them, each dignified and appreciated five-fold by the books that have been issued describing them ? Germantown is unique. There is no town in the United States more interesting his- torically. I say this without fear of success- ful contradiction. In its settlement by the Germans as early as 1683, it marks the S landing in this country of a race whose tremendous influence in forming and devel- oping our country can never be accurately measured. Is not this worth commemorat- ing ? It cherishes the spot from which was launched the first formal public protest against the institution of human slavery. Ought not such a spot be marked and re- membered forever ? It contains the birth-place of one of the greatest astronomers the State or country has produced. Is not such a spot worth marking ? Until within a year or so there existed the studio in which the painter, Gilbert Stuart, labored on the portrait of Washing- ton. Should this not be perpetuated ? With- in our borders was born one of the great in- dustries of our country, that of paper-making. Here, long before it was common in any other colony, printing and book-making were flourishing, and type-making in its in- fancy. Here spinning, weaving, knitting and shoe-making first assumed a magnitude 6 which can be likened only to the factory- system of the present day. Are not all these triumphs in the arts of peace worth noting and remembering ? Germantown's military history probably appeals most to the outside world, and this chapter in its career is best known. No other Revolutionary battle-field to-day con- tains more relics of what was an important and epoch-making battle. And yet of it there is not a single sign or letter or tablet or monument, except the two modest stones in our old burial yards — one over an Amer- ican dead in the upper yard, one over the British officers in the lower, both erected by Watson long ago and both now unknown and forgotten. Germantown was on two occasions the home of the first President of the United States and of members of his cabinet, and was to that extent the capital of the country. This house in which George Washington lived is the only one now standing which 7 served as a presidential home for any con- siderable time, — excepting, of course, Mt. Vernon. Germantown was temporarily the seat of the State government, and was the home of the first National Bank : — matters sufficiently important to be remembered and handed down. And then, our old Main Street ! Where is there one like it, with its solid, substantial houses, built of the native stone, dark and stained with age, as Silas Deane said, "rough children of nature, and German nature too" ? Shall we go to New England to find its counterpart ? If so, we shall just as likely find freshly painted clapboard, frame or lintel, looking as if they were built but yesterday. Go to the South ? We have the same frame buildings, with more of brick among them. In none of our old historic cities — Philadelphia, Boston, Richmond, Charleston, New York, Newport — are there so many dwelling-houses to be found in the same condition as they were a hundred years 8 ago, as there are in Germantown to-day. Does the architect know of better walls, or houses better suited to the climate ? The fact that he comes and copies their graceful lines and beautiful detail testifies to the skill and art of the early builder. Year by year some of these have gone, or have been changed past point of remem- brance. It will not do to expect that they may all be left, unsuited as many of them are to the growing business needs of the community ; but an aroused public senti- ment and awakened civic pride, a growing regard for the beauty and strength of long ago, and for the traditions and associations of the past, may yet preserve many of them from destruction. Let us care for these historic spots and relics while they are yet with us, and pre- serve them wherever possible. It will not detract from the value of the merchant's store to say, " On this spot Thomas Jeffer- son, Secretary of State, had his home," or 9 from the convenience of the building we are in to have an engraved tablet on its front stating that "Here the country's salt was stored during the nation's day of trial, and from this site the magnetic Whitfield preached to crowds gathered in the Market square below." And will it not add interest to any church to bear a tablet stating that "In this building George Washington, first President of the United States, worshipped," and so on ? We should make this movement one in which every public-spirited and patriotic citizen of Germantown would be interested ; it should enlist their sympathy, their hearty cooperation and support. Impinging in no way on the work of any society or organi- zation already formed, let it have but one definite purpose, — the preservation, com- memoration and marking by suitable signs and tablets or monuments of our historic spots, and the collection and preservation of relics connected with our past history. Let us ask the hearty sympathy and cooperation of societies already formed — The Pennsyl- vania Historical Society, The Germantown Library and Historical Society, The Colonial Dames, The City History Club, The Sons and Daughters of the Revolution, The Patri- otic Order Sons of America, The Science and Art, The Germantown Club, The Poli- tical Clubs, The Traction Company, The Business Men's Association. All should be interested in different ways and degrees. Let us make our membership broad, that all our citizens may be bound together in a common bond of civic pride and respect for the historic riches around us. Of course we may find that in some cases the owner of a private home may not wish for the pubhcity a tablet or sign might give him ; in that case let us not be insistent. Our organization should be planned for all time, — not for to-day or to-morrow. It may yet be the province of this body to secure and preserve through its efforts some priceless heirloom of the past. It is hard to conceive, yet you must all acknowledge it is not be- yond the range of possibility that in some distant day the Chew house, for instance, might be threatened with destruction. Imagine, if you can, a hundred little houses planned for its stately lawn ! With our proposed organization, alert and interested, such a sacrilege could be prevented. To cherish, save and mark these spots is an obligation we owe our own selves, our State, our country. The time is ripe, the urgency is great, the cause an honorable one. In doing it we shall not only win the grateful appreciation of thousands of interested countrymen, many of whom trace their descent to the home of the "Pennsylvania Pilgrim," but even more will our children's children and their chil- dren after them rise up in thankful appreci- ation that we, while it was not too late, rescued from oblivion some relic, some fact, some bit of history, that will grow in interest as the centuries gather round it. List of Members As prepared up to December 14th, 1900, Many names have been added since, Atkinson, Margaret D 5109 Wayne Street. Acker, Finlet Rubicam Avenue. Acker, Mrs. Finlet Rubicam Avenue. Barstow, William J m w. Washington Lane. Bacon, Francis L 5121 Pulaski Avenue. Bacon, Hannah J 5121 Pulaski Avenue. Belville, Dr. J. E 5915 Greene Street. BuRGiN, Dr. George H 63 W. Chelten Avenue. BuRGiN, Mrs. George H 63 W. Chelten Avenue. Brown, Henrt Tatnbll 5127 WajTie Street. Bradbury, Samuel 5441 Wayne Street. Bradbury, William H 239 Rittenhouse Street. Bbasley, Anna D Church Lane and Bellfield. Beale, Dr. Rupert G 48 E. Logan Street. Buckenham, J. E. Burnett . chestnut Hill. Barrett, Theodore 225 Tulpehocken Street. Brown, Wilson H Washington Lane & Morton St. Bruner, Daniel Pastorius . . . West Chelten Avenue. Chew, Mrs. Mary S. B Cliveden, Germantown. CarrigaN, W. S West Johnson Street. Chapman, Mrs. Mary E 6408 Main Street. Chapman, Francis 6408 Main Street. Chapman, William E 6408 Main Street. Church, W. A Penn and Knox Streets. Cook, Morris Llewellyn Walnut Lane and Wayne St. Cook, Mrs. Morris Llewellyn Walnut Lane and Wayne St. Cookman, Mrs. Wm. H 122 W. Washington Lane. Cresson, Miss Anne H 244 School Lane. Cresson, Charles Caleb ...5909 Greene Street. Cresson, Mrs, Sarah E 5909 Greene Street. Corson, Robert R 5121 Piilaski Avenue. Campbell, W. J 413 w. School Lane. Campbell, Miss Jane 413 W. School Lane. Canby, W. Marriott 307 Earlham Terrace. Cassidt, H. Gilbert East Washington Lane. Chase, Randall Summit Street, Chestnut HilL Closson, Dr. James H 53 W. Chelten Avenue. 13 Dixon, John C 261 W. Rittenhouse Street. Davis, Henry L 6100 Wayne Avenue. Davis, Henry L., Jr Burbridge Street. Davis, Mrs. Henry L., Jr Burbridge Street. Downs, Dr. R. N Greene St. and West Haines. Dye, John H 5910 Greene Street. Daughters of American Rev- olution, Germantown Chap- ter, National Society, by Mrs. E. W. J. Burgin 63 W. Chelten Avenue. Evans, Charles T 203 W. Walnut Lane. Fagan, Mrs. Mary Dorothea.. 120 W. Penn Street. Fahnestock, James F Johnson and McCalluni Sts. Foulke, Wm. G W. Tulpehocken Street. FOULKE, Mrs. Wm. G W. Tulpehocken Street. Freeman, Samuel T 206 E. Penn Street. Gates, James R 5334 Greene Street. Goodell, Edward P 223 E. Harvey Street. GooDELL, Mrs. Edward P 223 E. Harvey Street. Goldsmith, Edwin M 143 E. Coulter Street. GUMMEY, W. T 329 Pelham Road. Hartman, John M 227 Gowen Avenue. Haydock, Robert Roger 5323 Magnolia Avenue. Heyl, Rev. Francis 23 W. Upsal Street. Howell, Edward I. H 5218 Germantown Avenue. Howell, Anna Hazen 5218 Germantown Avenue. Henderson, George 6622 Greene Street. Hunsicker, Henry A 524 E. Penn Street. Harper, B. Frank 234 E. Penn Street. Jenkins, Charles Francis 150 W. Washington Lane. Jenkins, Mrs. Chas. Francis. 150 W. Washington Lane. Jones, Jane Shoemaker 143 W. Coulter Street. Jones, John Barclay 143 W. Coulter Street. Jenkins, Owen B Upsal Terrace. Johnson, Ellwood 6316 Main Street. Johnson, Elizabeth R Main and Washington Lane. Johnson, Sallie Wheeler ....Upsala, Germantown. Keator, John F 218 W. Walnut Lane. Keyser, Dr. Naaman H 33 Church Lane. Keyser, Romaine Main and Rittenhouse Streets, Lambert, Major Wm. H 330 W. Johnson Street. Lambert, Mrs. Wm. H 330 W. Johnson Street. Lloyd, Howard Williams 112 W. Tulpehocken Street. 14 Lybrand, William H 139 E. Walnut Lane. Ltbrand, Mrs. William H 139 E. Walnut Lane. LiPPiNCOTT, Horace Mather... 431 E. Walnut Lane. LoNOSTRETH, W. M Knox and Penn Streets. LuKBNS, Charles M 312 E. Walnut Lane. Lttkens, Mrs. Charles M 312 E. Walnut Lane. McCoRMiCK, Mrs. E. P 230 W. Tulpehocken Street. McCoRMiCK, Miss Mart B 230 W. Tulpehocken Street. McClellan, Miss Elizabeth ..189 Maplewood Avenue. McIlhenny, John Upsal Street. McIlhenny, Salina B Upsal Street. McIlhenstt, John D 252 W. Johnson Street. Mason, William A 212 W. Chelten Avenue. Montgomery, Robert R 139 E. Walnut Lane. Moore, Thomas Guerney 5927 Wayne Avenue. Moore, Mrs. Thos. Guerney.. 5927 Wayne Avenue. Morris, Elliston P 5442 Main Street. Morris, Marriott C 6706 Cresheim Road. Miller, Walter Pawson .517 E. Mt. Airy Avenue. Mellinger, Miss Margaret J. " The Linden," Germantown. Meehan, William E "Public Ledger." Nason, Rev. C. P. H 6135 Greene Street. Nason, Mrs. C. P. H 6135 Greene Street. Nichols, H. S. Prentiss 346 Pelham Road. Newport, Mrs. Wm. O 152 W. Walnut Lane. Otto, Charles W 9 W. School Lane. Pardee, Mrs. Calvin W. Walnut Lane. Paul, Mrs. Rebecca M Upsal Street. Peirce, Harold 149 W. Tulpehocken Street. Peirce, Mrs. Harold 149 w. Tulpehocken Street. Pennypacker, Hon. Samuel W.Pennvpacker's Mills, Pa. Perkins, Abraham R 302 W. Upsal Street. Perkins, Penrose R Greene Street. Perkins, Mrs. George H 413 S. Broad Street. POLEY, Warren H 6519 Germantown Avenue. Potter, Sheldon 48 W. Tulpehocken Street. Potter, Mrs. Sheldon 43 w. Tulpehocken Street. Peacock, Chancey H Lafayette College. Patton, W. W 5306 Main Street. Patton, Alfred G 5501 Main Street. Plumer, Henry Baldwin Lincoln Drive. Plumer, Miss Marjorie Lincoln Drive. Plumer, Miss Elvira Gilmore. Lincoln Drive. 15 inn 014 312 216 5 RtJNK, W. Setmoue -14_ Rttnk, Mrs. W. Seymour 448 Church Lane. Roberts, S. O., Jr 304 E. Walnut Lane. Randle, George Mather 10 N. Front Street. Randall, Edmund 235 W. Rittenhouse Street. Reeve, G. Stanley 6306 Germantown Avenue. RiTTER, James H 180 E. Walnut Lane. Richards, Mrs, Theodora B...W. Walnut Lane. Sanborn, Edw. H 39 Fisher's Lane. Sanborn, Harriet P - 39 Fisher's Lane. Savery, Albert H 5817 Greene Street. Schaefer, Charles J 5224 Morris Street. Sherman, Charles Pomerot ..5402 Wayne Avenue. Sherman, Mrs. Laura Alex- ander 5402 Wayne Avenue. Sheppard, Miss Mary 5443 Greene Street. Steinmetz, H. L 5010 Wayne Avenue. Schaefper, Dr. Wm. A W. School Lane. Shoemaker, Thomas H Tulpehocken Street. Tomlinson, Dr. W. H 44 E. Walnut Lane. Tyson, Canby S 239 Harvey Street. Tyson, Mrs. Canby S 239 Harvey Street. Umsted, John R 224 Apsley Street. Wallace, Wm. S 129 W. Horter Street. Welsh, Ashbel 152 W. Walnut Lane. Welsh, Mrs. Ashbel 152 W. Walnut Lane. Weitzel, E. Boyd 403 W. Chelten Avenue. Weitzel, M. Fannie Evans ..403 W. Chelten Avenue. Weygandt, Cornelius N 229 W. Upsal Street. Weygandt, Lucy E 229 W. Upsal Street. Whitesides, Miss Sarah M. . . Main Street and Queen Lane. WiSTER, Charles J Main Street and Queen Lane. WisTER, Alexander W Greene Street. WisTER, Hannah L Main Street. WiSTAR, Mrs. Cresson 5355 Knox Street. Wriggins, Charles E 507 Church Lane. Wilson, Ralph Graham Upsal Terrace. WooLSTON, Mrs. Joshua W....147 W. Chelten Avenue. WooLSTON, Joseph L ,147 W. Chelten Avenue. Williams, Mrs. Francis How- ard Greene and Coulter Streets. Zell, Miss Hannah Ann Locust Avenue. i6 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 312 216 5 ^