Site History
by Emma Connolly
The Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion was constructed in 1859 at the direction of its namesake, Ebenezer Maxwell. The property’s design is attributed to architect Joseph C. Hoxie who was active in the area during the period of construction.
Ebenezer Maxwell was born in 1827 on a farm in upstate New York and moved to Philadelphia in the late 1840s to early 1850s (Richardson). While there, he entered a partnership with William P. Bangs, and established a successful dry goods business. Their main ware was raw textiles, which they purchased directly from manufacturers and sold to garment makers, who then sold the finished items to clothing stores. With his successful business, as well as the large inheritance contributed by his wife and second-cousin Anna Smith, whom he married in 1853, Maxwell was able to purchase property at the corner of Greene and Tulpehocken Streets in the developing suburbs of Philadelphia’s Germantown Neighborhood. In 1859, Maxwell and his wife moved into their state-of-the-art property at 200 West Tulpehocken Street, which featured modern amenities such as gas lighting and central coal heating, as well as indoor plumbing. In 1862, the Maxwells sold the property at a profit and relocated to a property nearby, at 109 West Tulpehocken Street, where they lived until Ebenezer’s death in 1870 (Collections, Germantown Historical Society). Based on the Maxwell family’s brief period of residence at the subject property, as well as the context of the neighborhood, it is believed that the house was constructed as a speculative venture.
In October of 1862, the Maxwells sold the property to William and Rosalia (nee Allan) Hunter (Boucher). William was also a Philadelphia merchant who traded in clothing, and later shifted his business to coal (Richardson). The Hunters lived in the subject structure with their five children until William’s death in 1867. The same year, the Hunters had modified the house in the only major secondary building campaign, adding a two-story stone addition to the southwest and removing the house’s interior water-closet in favor of an exterior outhouse. The widowed Rosalia then married Howard A. Stevenson, who took over ownership of the house (Ibid). Their daughter, Augusta “Gussie” Stevenson inherited her family’s home after Rosalia’s death in 1911 and lived there until her death in 1956 (Boucher). It is unclear as to what events led to Augusta inheriting the house, rather than one of the surviving Hunter children, however it can be assumed that the house was held in the estate of Howard Stevenson, who then left his property to his biological daughter.
At some point during or immediately after Augusta’s ownership, a wood-frame addition was constructed at the rear of the 1867 addition. In undated documents on file at the Germantown Historical Society, this addition is referred to as a scullery porch, and is dated to around the turn of the 20th century (Collections, Germantown Historical Society). Following Augusta’s death, the house was deeded to the American Red Cross, who sold it to Greenwood Warehousing Corporation the following year (Ibid). Due to emerging plans for development of the property in the 1960s, the neighborhood joined together to advocate for its preservation. In 1964, the Unitarian Universalist church purchased the property for $30,000, and established a long-term lease with the Germantown Historical Society in 1965 (Boucher).
The Historical Society then undertook restoration of the house and grounds in the 1960s through the 1970s. In 1985, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing resource to the Tulpehocken Station Historic District (Means). During the occupancy of the Germantown Historical Society, the building was opened as Philadelphia’s first and only Victorian house museum. Today, its use as a museum has shifted to include interpretation of the lives of Black Philadelphians during the Victorian era (Richardson).
Bibliography
Boucher, Jack E. “Ebenezer Maxwell House: Written Historical and Descriptive Data.” Historic American Building Survey, Library of Congress, 1966, https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa0900/pa0989/data/pa0989cap.pdf.
“Early History: The Founding of Germantown.” Concordia Trust, https://www.concordiatrust.org/making-history-come-alive/early-history-the-founding-of-germantown/.
“Germantown: A Town of Its Own.” Philadelphia Neighborhoods, 14 Jan. 2020, http://philadelphianeighborhoods.com/2011/02/04/germantown-a-town-of-its-own/.
Gottlieb, Dylan. “Streetcar Suburbs.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 23 Apr. 2022, https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/streetcar-suburbs-2/.
Means, Mary C. “Ebenezer Maxwell House - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.” National Archives and Records Administration, 1971, https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/71000728.pdf.
Moss, Roger W., and Sandra L. Tatman. “Joseph C. Hoxie, Architect.” Hoxie, Joseph C. (1814 - 1870) -- Philadelphia Architects and Buildings, Philadelphia Architects and Buildings, 2022, https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/51793.
Richardson, Diane. “History of Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion: The Maxwell Family.” Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, 3 June 2020, https://ebenezermaxwellmansion.org/the-maxwell-family/.
“Scull and Heap Map of Philadelphia, 1750.” Philageohistory Maps Viewer, https://www.philageohistory.org/tiles/viewer/.
“Spanish Speculation.” Germantown Courier, 26 Oct. 1977.
Young, David W. “Historic Germantown: New Knowledge in a Very Old Neighborhood.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 1 Sept. 2022, https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/historic-germantown-new-knowledge-in-a-very-old-neighborhood-2/.