Edward Morgan Log House
Encyclopedia
The Edward Morgan Log House is a historic house built c. 1700. An early owner of the house, and possibly its builder, was the Welsh Quaker settler, Edward Morgan, the maternal grandfather of Daniel Boone
. Despite Morgan's Welsh heritage, the house is built in a medieval Germanic style. It is located at 850 Weikel Rd. in Towamencin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973.
to Griffith Jones, a merchant, on February 12, 1702. Edward Morgan bought 309 acres of that land on February 26, 1708. An unspecified "dwelling house" was part of the purchase, though Morgan appears to have been the first settler to live on the property. Morgan came to Pennsylvania in 1698 and settled north of the area's main Welsh settlement in Gwynedd. In 1720 his daughter Sarah married Squire Boone
, and ten years later, the couple moved to Berks County
, where Daniel Boone was born in 1734. Other descendants of Edward Morgan include Daniel Morgan
, Lowell Thomas
, and Walter L. Morgan
.
In 1723, Edward Morgan deeded 104 acres, including the house, to his son John Morgan, who sold the property to Evan David in 1741. John Yeakel, a Schwenkfelder bought the property in 1770 and then sold 82 acres to Yellis Cassel, a Mennonite
in 1774. The property stayed in the Cassel family for 99 years until Frederick Bower bought the house along with 62 acres. After several other owners, William Nash bought the house and 17 acres in 1965, and planned to develop and subdivide the land. The house was condemned in 1967, but was recognized as a historic structure the same year and an organization was formed to save it from demolition. Towamencin Township bought the house along with 1.7 acres in 1970.
By 1976, the floor plan was restored to three rooms on the first floor, with a spring room in the partial basement, three rooms on the second floor, and an undivided attic.
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
. Despite Morgan's Welsh heritage, the house is built in a medieval Germanic style. It is located at 850 Weikel Rd. in Towamencin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973.
History
Six-hundred acres, including the house site, was granted by the Commissioners of William PennWilliam Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
to Griffith Jones, a merchant, on February 12, 1702. Edward Morgan bought 309 acres of that land on February 26, 1708. An unspecified "dwelling house" was part of the purchase, though Morgan appears to have been the first settler to live on the property. Morgan came to Pennsylvania in 1698 and settled north of the area's main Welsh settlement in Gwynedd. In 1720 his daughter Sarah married Squire Boone
Squire Boone
Squire Boone Jr. was an American pioneer and brother of Daniel Boone. In 1780, he founded the first settlement in Shelby County, Kentucky. The tenth of eleven children, Squire Boone was born to Nathan "Squire" Boone Sr. and his wife Sarah Boone in Berks County, Pennsylvania at the Daniel Boone...
, and ten years later, the couple moved to Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
, where Daniel Boone was born in 1734. Other descendants of Edward Morgan include Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan was an American pioneer, soldier, and United States Representative from Virginia. One of the most gifted battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War, he later commanded troops during the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion.-Early years:Most authorities believe that...
, Lowell Thomas
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
, and Walter L. Morgan
Walter L. Morgan
Walter L. Morgan was the founder of the Wellington Fund, the first balanced mutual fund in the United States and one of the oldest surviving mutual funds. Morgan was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania where he prepared at the Hillman Academy...
.
In 1723, Edward Morgan deeded 104 acres, including the house, to his son John Morgan, who sold the property to Evan David in 1741. John Yeakel, a Schwenkfelder bought the property in 1770 and then sold 82 acres to Yellis Cassel, a Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
in 1774. The property stayed in the Cassel family for 99 years until Frederick Bower bought the house along with 62 acres. After several other owners, William Nash bought the house and 17 acres in 1965, and planned to develop and subdivide the land. The house was condemned in 1967, but was recognized as a historic structure the same year and an organization was formed to save it from demolition. Towamencin Township bought the house along with 1.7 acres in 1970.
Architecture
The house has two-and-a-half stories, with a center chimney. It was constructed of white oak logs with notched corners and chinked with diagonally placed stones. A pent roof runs around three sides of the house, and the gable ends were covered in vertical sheathing. The original interior is well preserved, including original hand wrought hardware and a large central fireplace.By 1976, the floor plan was restored to three rooms on the first floor, with a spring room in the partial basement, three rooms on the second floor, and an undivided attic.