Hope Lodge
Encyclopedia
Hope Lodge is a historic building located at 553 South Bethlehem Pike
in Fort Washington
, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
.
country mansion built between 1743 and 1748 by Quaker businessman Samuel Morris and designed by Philadelphia architect Edmund Woolley
. Upon Morris's death in 1770, his brother Joshua sold the property to William West, another Philadelphia merchant. During the autumn
of 1777, Washington's
Continental Army
spent six weeks camped at nearby Whitemarsh
. During the encampment, Hope Lodge was used as a hospital by George Washington's
surgeon general John Cochran, and as quarters for Major General Nathanael Greene
. When West died in 1784, the house was purchased by the English banker Henry Hope
(to whom Adam Smith
dedicated The Wealth of Nations
and whose family would later own and lend their name to the Hope Diamond
) and it was presented as a wedding gift to his ward, James Watmough. In 1832, the Watmough family sold the property to Jacob Wentz, their tenant farmer, and the Wentz family remained in residence at Hope Lodge for ninety years. In 1921, the property was sold to Keasbey and Mattison Company
, who intended to demolish the home to expand a nearby limestone
quarry
. Hope Lodge was saved from destruction by William and Alice Degn, who purchased the property from Keasbey and Mattison in 1922. In 1957, ownership of the lodge was transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
.
Hope Lodge is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
.
as a museum and historic site. On November 20, 2009, the site was closed due to state budget constraints which reduced the agency's budget by 43%. This reduction resulted in mass layoff of PHMC employees, and the closure or reduction in hours and/or services at many PHMC-operated sites throughout the state of Pennsylvania.
Despite the closure, the grounds play host to various community events, such as Ambler Symphony concerts; as well as an annual reenactment of the 1777 Whitemarsh Encampment.
Bethlehem Pike
Bethlehem Pike is a historic 41 mi long road in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, connecting Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It began as a Native American path called the Minsi Trail which evolved into a colonial highway called the King's Road in the 1760s. Most of the route...
in Fort Washington
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington is an unincorporated census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.-Prior to the Revolutionary War:...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Originally named "Whitemarsh Estate," Hope Lodge is a GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
country mansion built between 1743 and 1748 by Quaker businessman Samuel Morris and designed by Philadelphia architect Edmund Woolley
Edmund Woolley
Edmund Woolley was an early American architect and master carpenter. He was responsible for designing and erecting the first building on the University of Pennsylvania's first campus, the Pennsylvania State House and Hope Lodge. Woolley was born in England around 1695, and emigrated to America...
. Upon Morris's death in 1770, his brother Joshua sold the property to William West, another Philadelphia merchant. During the autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
of 1777, Washington's
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
spent six weeks camped at nearby Whitemarsh
Philadelphia campaign
The Philadelphia campaign was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress...
. During the encampment, Hope Lodge was used as a hospital by George Washington's
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
surgeon general John Cochran, and as quarters for Major General Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
. When West died in 1784, the house was purchased by the English banker Henry Hope
Henry Hope
Henry Hope was an Amsterdam merchant banker born in Boston, in Britain's Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America.-Early years:...
(to whom Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
dedicated The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, generally referred to by its shortened title The Wealth of Nations, is the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith...
and whose family would later own and lend their name to the Hope Diamond
Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond, also known as "Le bleu de France" or "Le Bijou du Roi", is a large, , deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but exhibits red...
) and it was presented as a wedding gift to his ward, James Watmough. In 1832, the Watmough family sold the property to Jacob Wentz, their tenant farmer, and the Wentz family remained in residence at Hope Lodge for ninety years. In 1921, the property was sold to Keasbey and Mattison Company
Keasbey and Mattison Company
Keasbey and Mattison Company was a manufacturing company that produced asbestos and related building products before being purchased by Turner & Newall in 1934. The company was founded in 1873 by Henry G. Keasbey, a businessman, and Dr. Richard V. Mattison, a chemist/pharmacist...
, who intended to demolish the home to expand a nearby limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. Hope Lodge was saved from destruction by William and Alice Degn, who purchased the property from Keasbey and Mattison in 1922. In 1957, ownership of the lodge was transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Hope Lodge is listed on the U.S. 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...
.
Hope Lodge Today
Hope Lodge was operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionPennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
as a museum and historic site. On November 20, 2009, the site was closed due to state budget constraints which reduced the agency's budget by 43%. This reduction resulted in mass layoff of PHMC employees, and the closure or reduction in hours and/or services at many PHMC-operated sites throughout the state of Pennsylvania.
Despite the closure, the grounds play host to various community events, such as Ambler Symphony concerts; as well as an annual reenactment of the 1777 Whitemarsh Encampment.
Owners of Hope Lodge
- 1743 to 1770: Samuel Morris
- 1770 to 1776: Joshua Morris
- 1776 to 1784: William West
- 1784 to 1832: Watmough Family
- 1832 to 1921: Wentz Family
- 1921 to 1922: Keasbey and Mattison
- 1922 to 1957: William and Alice Degn
- 1957 to Present: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Further reading
- H.D. Eberlein and H.M. Lippincott, The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighbourhood, J.B. Lippincott Co., Phila. and London, 1912.