Exterior view of front and side of the colonial residence built 1763-1767 by master carpenter Jacob Knor for Philadelphia attorney Benjamin Chew at 6401 Germantown Avenue. Shows the facade of the two-story stone building with a pediment over the front door, shuttered windows, and dormers and chimneys on the roof. Also depicts the entrance drive to the Chew grounds. Chew House, also known as Cliveden, was the site of the turning point in the Battle of Germantown in 1777. The Chew family enslaved people of African descent in the city of Philadelphia and in Germantown during the 18th and 19th centuries. The estate was the Chew family residence until 1972 when it was acquired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation., Contains 17 postcards printed in color and 9 printed in black and white., Sheet numbers: 102A02, 102A03, 102A04, 102A05, 102A06, 102B02,102B03 and 102B04., Gift of George M. Brightbill, 1999., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator
Brightbill, George M., collector
Date
1900-1910
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Brightbill postcards [Germantown - Mansions - 102]
Exterior views of front facade of Mount Pleasant Mansion (i.e. Arnold Mansion) built 1761-1765 for Captain John Macpherson after the designs of Thomas Nevil in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa. Macpherson, a privateer during the Seven Years’ War, purchased the estate with profits from these operations. Free white and Black laborers, indentured servants, and at least four enslaved people of African descent, whose names are unknown, worked on the plantation. In 1779, General Benedict Arnold purchased Mount Pleasant for his wife Peggy Shippen, but they never occupied the house. In 1792, General Jonathan Williams purchased the mansion. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property from the Williams family in 1869. On behalf of the city, the Philadelphia Museum of Art restored the house in 1926., Contains 6 postcards printed in color and 3 printed in black and white., Gift of George M. Brightbill, 1999., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator
Brightbill, George M., collector
Date
[ca. 1905]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Brightbill postcards [Fairmount Park - Mansions and Houses - Arnold - 77]
