Upsala (mansion)
Encyclopedia
Upsala is a historic mansion in Mount Airy
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
that was the site of the American encampment during the Battle of Germantown
.
Upsala was built in 1798 by John Johnson, III, the grandson of the builder of the nearby John Johnson House, who is said to have bought the land in 1766. It stands directly across Germantown Avenue from Cliveden, Benjamin Chew
's mansion. Although he was raised as an English-speaking Quaker
, Johnson was descended from one of Germantown's earliest settlers, Dirk Jansen. Johnson married Sally Wheeler in 1801, and together they had nine children at Upsala.
Dirck (or Dirick) Jansen owned the land before 1775. The older, rear part of the house was built around 1745. John Johnson, Sr. is said to have bought the land in 1766. There is speculation over whether father or son owned the house first. John Johnson, III inherited the property in 1797 and built the front section of the house.
It was the site of the encampment of the Continental Army
at the Battle of Germantown
in 1777.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972. It is a contributing property
of the Colonial Germantown Historic District
.
Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mount Airy is a neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Mount Airy is bounded on the northwest by the Cresheim Valley, which is part of Fairmount Park. Beyond this lies Chestnut Hill. On the west side is the Wissahickon Gorge, which is also part of Fairmount...
, Philadelphia, 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...
that was the site of the American encampment during the Battle of Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
.
Upsala was built in 1798 by John Johnson, III, the grandson of the builder of the nearby John Johnson House, who is said to have bought the land in 1766. It stands directly across Germantown Avenue from Cliveden, Benjamin Chew
Benjamin Chew
Benjamin Chew was a third-generation American, a Quaker-born legal scholar, a prominent and successful Philadelphia lawyer, head of the Pennsylvania Judiciary System under both Colony and Commonwealth, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of Pennsylvania...
's mansion. Although he was raised as an English-speaking Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, Johnson was descended from one of Germantown's earliest settlers, Dirk Jansen. Johnson married Sally Wheeler in 1801, and together they had nine children at Upsala.
Dirck (or Dirick) Jansen owned the land before 1775. The older, rear part of the house was built around 1745. John Johnson, Sr. is said to have bought the land in 1766. There is speculation over whether father or son owned the house first. John Johnson, III inherited the property in 1797 and built the front section of the house.
It was the site of the encampment of the 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...
at the Battle of Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
in 1777.
The building was added to 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 1972. It is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
of the Colonial Germantown Historic District
Colonial Germantown Historic District
The Colonial Germantown Historic District is a designated National Historic Landmark District in the Germantown and Mount Airy neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania along both sides of Germantown Avenue...
.
Further reading
- Marion, John Francis. Bicentennial City: Walking Tours of Historic Philadelphia. Princeton: The Pyne Press, 1974.
- Moss, Roger W. Historic Houses of Philadelphia: A Tour of the Region's Museum Homes. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1998.
- Tinkcom, Harry A. and Margaret B. and Grant Miles Simon, Historic Germantown: From the Founding to the Early Part of the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Soc., 1955.
External links
- Article at UShistory.org
- Listing at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- Photographs at the Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
- Philadelphia's Historic Northwest Coalition, Historic Sites - link to Upsala museum tour information