Plymouth Meeting Historic District

Plymouth Meeting Historic District
1871 G. M. Hopkins Atlas, plate 27: Plymouth. Germantown Pike is the horizontal road at center; Butler Pike is the vertical road.
Plymouth Meeting Historic District is located in Pennsylvania
Plymouth Meeting Historic District
Plymouth Meeting Historic District is located in the United States
Plymouth Meeting Historic District
LocationPlymouth Meeting;
Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°06′09.5″N 75°16′43″W / 40.102639°N 75.27861°W / 40.102639; -75.27861
Area200 acres (81 ha)
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleMixed (more than 2 styles from different periods)
NRHP reference No.71000715[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 18, 1971

Plymouth Meeting Historic District is a national historic district that straddles Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The adjacent Cold Point Historic District is north of it.

The district encompasses 200 acres (81 ha) and includes 56 contributing buildings in the historic core of Plymouth Meeting. Among these are the separately-listed Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse (1708); Hinterleiter House (c.1714); Livezey House and Store (c.1740–1788); Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall (c.1795, 1856); and Plymouth Meeting Country Store and Post Office (c.1827).[2]

The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[1]

Plymouth Meeting House is the name of a village situated at the intersection of the Plymouth and Perkiomen turnpikes, on the township line. On this [Plymouth] side is the meeting house, school house and four houses; and in Whitemarsh two stores, a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, post office and twenty-four houses. The houses in this village are chiefly situated along the Perkiomen or Reading pike, nearly adjoining one another, and being of stone, neatly white washed, with shady yards in front, present to the stranger an agreeable appearance. In the basement of the Library building the Methodists hold worship. This is an ancient settlement, whose history dates back nearly to the arrival of William Penn, and is marked as a village on Lewis Evans' map of 1749. The post office was established here before 1827. In 1832 there were but ten houses here. — History of Montgomery County (1858).[3]

Contributing properties (alphabetical by street)

Separately NRHP-listed properties are shaded in blue.

Name Image Address Built Notes
Part of Maple Hill (see 3047 Spring Mill Road, below) opposite 2070 Butler Pike c.1794
Journey's End[4]
Thomas White House
Plymouth Friends School 		2150 Butler Pike c.1827
3134 Butler Pike
3136 Butler Pike 1898
Ellwood Jones House 3138 Butler Pike 1871 – E. Jones[5]
Maulsby Barn and Abolition Hall (see Hovenden House, 1 E. Germantown Pike, also part of the property, below) 4006 Butler Pike c.1795
1856
Samuel Maulsby built the stone barn, c.1795.
His son-in-law George Corson built Abolition Hall, 1856.
1871 – Estate of George Corson[5]
Abolition Hall, left, c.1906.
Hiram Blee & Company Lime Kilns opposite 4044 Butler Pike Demolished by Danella Companies, Inc., Spring 2019,
to make way for additional truck parking.
4066 Butler Pike
G. & W. H. Corson Company offices opposite 4200 Butler Pike
Hovenden House
Samuel Maulsby House
Maulsby-Corson-Hovenden House 		1 E. Germantown Pike
NE corner Germantown & Butler Pikes 		c.1795 Built by Samuel Maulsby.
1871 – Estate of George Corson[5]
The rear ell incorporates the stone walls of an earlier house.[2]
Barrett House 2 E. Germantown Pike
SE corner Germantown & Butler Pikes 		1871 – Barrett[5]
Plymouth Meeting Country Store and Post Office 3-5 E. Germantown Pike c.1826-1827
Built by Samuel Maulsby.
His son Jonathan served as Plymouth Meeting's first postmaster.[6]
1871 – Jesse Hall Store/Plymouth Meeting P. O.[5]
Hall's Store circa 1900:
Jones-Williams House[7] 4 E. Germantown Pike c.1787 1871 – J. R. Ellis[5]
6 E. Germantown Pike
Jonathon Jones House[8] 8 E. Germantown Pike 1854 1871 – R. Jones[5]
George Hitner Residence[9] 12 E. Germantown Pike 1871 – Mark Jones[5]
George Hitner was issued a license to operate an inn in 1778.[10]
Hitner Barn
"The Barn at 14 East" 		14 E. Germantown Pike c.1714
Killmer Dwelling[11] 15 E. Germantown Pike c.1838 1871 – P. Lukens[5]
Joseph R. Ellis House[12] 17 E. Germantown Pike 1841 1871 – Jos. R. Ellis[5]
Schlatter House 19 E. Germantown Pike (left half) 1835 1871 – S. Sh. [Seth Schlatter?][5]
21 E. Germantown Pike (right half) 1871 – W. W. Sh. [William Schlatter?][5]
Joel Lare House 27 E. Germantown Pike 1800 1871 – J. Lare[5]
Lare was a blacksmith and minister.[13]
The 1871 G. W. Hopkins Atlas shows a small building
east of his house, possibly his blacksmith shop.[5]
Isaac Garretson House 37 E. Germantown Pike 1871 – I. Garretson[5]
George Hagy House 41 E. Germantown Pike 1850 1871 – Geo. Hagy[5]
Plymouth Meeting Evangelical Congregational Church[14] 42 E. Germantown Pike 1876-1883 "An Evangelical meeting-house was commenced here in 1876,
but not dedicated until July 22, 1883. It is a two-story stone edifice,
with a capacity to seat five hundred persons."[15]
Frederick R. Freas House 43-45 E. Germantown Pike 1840 1871 – F. R. Freas[5]
Annis Lee House 47 E. Germantown Pike 1871 – Annis Lee[5]
Cairns [Carns?] House 49 E. Germantown Pike (left half) 1841 1871 – P. Cairns[5]
Henry Freas House 51 E. Germantown Pike (right half) 1871 – H. Freas[5]
James Houston House 53 E. Germantown Pike 1824 1871 – Jas. Houston[5]
Willaman Residence[16] 55 E. Germantown Pike c.1844 1871 – Mrs. Cameron[5]
Andrew Norney House[17]
Sabia House 		94 E. Germantown Pike c.1849 1871 – I. Sands[5]
John Knight House[18] 107 E. Germantown Pike c.1737 1871 – S. Rhoads[5]
Elizabeth Williams House[19] 113 E. Germantown Pike
13 to Philadelphia Milepost NW corner Germantown & Butler Pikes
Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse[20] SW corner Germantown & Butler Pikes 1708 1871 – Friends Meeting House[5]
Plymouth Friends Meeting Campus – Old School House c.1866
2nd story 1900[21] 		1871 – School Ho.[5]
Plymouth Friends Meeting Campus – William Jeanes Memorial Library 1935 Designed by Muhlenberg Brothers, architects.[22]
Leedom House[23]
Dr. Joseph Leedom
Dr. Edwin C. Leedom 		2 W. Germantown Pike
NW corner Germantown & Butler Pikes 		c.1803
1871 – Dr. E. C. Leedom[5]
Dr. Joseph Leedom established his practice in Plymouth Meeting
in 1803. His son and grandson also became physicians.[24]
Leedom Springhouse:
R. Thompson House[25] 111 W. Germantown Pike (on left) 1870 1871 – R. Thompson[5]
Archbishop Thomas Kennedy Birthplace[26]
Patrick Kennedy House 		113 W. Germantown Pike (on right) c.1776 1871 – P. Kennedy[5]
J. Hagy House 119 W. Germantown Pike 1871 – J. Hagy[5]
Staley House 125-27 W. Germantown Pike 1871 – S. Stally[5]
George Hagy & Brother Lime Kilns 130 W. Germantown Pike 1871 – Lime Kilns/Hagy & Bro.[5]
George Rogers House 139 W. Germantown Pike 1875-1876 1871 – Geo. Rogers[5]
J. W. Ramsey Lime Kilns 200 W. Germantown Pike (at Chemical Road) 1871 – Lime Kilns/J. W. Ramsey[5]
Thomas Livezey House and Store 225 W. Germantown Pike c.1740
1788 		1871 – Thos. Livezey/Store[5]
14 Marple Lane
Marple House[27] 20 Marple Lane c.1840 Features a summer kitchen and smokehouse
Plymouth School House[28]
Williams School 		119 W. Meeting House Lane 1837
Kirk Residence[29] 127 W. Meeting House Lane c.1848 1871 – School Ho.[5] [This may be an error in the 1871 atlas.]
Linden Grove[30]
Bellfield
Peter & Mary Dager House 		101 E. Ridge Pike
NE corner Ridge Pike & Spring Mill Road 		1790
1810
1829-1832
Dickinson House and Barn[31]
Hinterleiter House[32] 		2130 Sierra Road
2181 Chemical Road 		1715
Features a dwelling, barn, summer kitchen & smokehouse.
Headquarters of the Plymouth Meeting Historical Society[33]
Albertson Farm House[34] 2130 Sierra Road
2181 Chemical Road 		c.1810
1871 – Mrs. Allice T. Albertson [widow of Josiah Albertson][5]
Jacob Deeves Residence[35] 3033 Spring Mill Road c.1790
Part of Maple Hill 3037 Spring Mill Road 1811
Maple Hill[36]
Dr. Hiram Corson Residence 		3047 Spring Mill Road 1833
Dr. Hiram Corson shared a medical office with Dr. Joseph Leedom
in the Leedom House, at 2 W. Germantown Pike, before
establishing a medical office here in his own house.[37]
Garden house and carriage house:
3118 Spring Mill Road
3127 Spring Mill Road
3137 Spring Mill Road Shown on the 1871 G. W. Hopkins Atlas.[5]
3138 Spring Mill Road Shown on the 1871 G. W. Hopkins Atlas.[5]
Samuel Livezey House[38]
Cook-Livezey House 		3141 Spring Mill Road 1739
c.1788
1871 – Rachel Maulsby[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Edward F. LaFond, Jr. (July 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Plymouth Meeting Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  3. ^ William J. Buck, History of Montgomery County within the Schuylkill Valley (Norristown, PA: E. L. Acker, 1859), p. 81.
  4. ^ Journey's End data from the Philadelphia Architects and Buildings (PAB) project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an G. M. Hopkins & Co., Atlas of the County of Montgomery and the State of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: 1871), plate 27 inset.[1]
  6. ^ Maulsby-Albertson Family Papers, 1763-1884, RG 5/099, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.
  7. ^ Jones-Williams House data from PAB
  8. ^ Jonathon Jones House data from PAB
  9. ^ Hitner Residence data from PAB
  10. ^ Theodore Weber Bean, History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2 (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1884), p. 1143.
  11. ^ Killmer Dwelling data from PAB
  12. ^ Joseph R. Ellis House data from PAB
  13. ^ "Memorial of Joel Lare," The Friend, vol. 71, no. 31 (February 19, 1898), p. 242.
  14. ^ Plymouth Meeting Evangelical Congregational Church data from PAB
  15. ^ Theodore Weber Bean, History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2 (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1884), p. 1148.
  16. ^ Willaman Residence data from PAB
  17. ^ Norney House data from PAB
  18. ^ John Knight House data from PAB
  19. ^ Elizabeth Williams House data from PAB
  20. ^ Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse data from PAB
  21. ^ Elwood Roberts, Plymouth Meeting: Its Establishment and the Settlement of the Township (Norristown, PA: Roberts Publishing Co., 1900), p. 74.
  22. ^ William Jeanes Memorial Library data from PAB
  23. ^ Leedom House data from PAB
  24. ^ Theodore Weber Bean, History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume 1 (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1884), p. 647.
  25. ^ Dwelling data from PAB
  26. ^ Archbishop Thomas Kennedy Birthplace data from PAB
  27. ^ Marple House data from PAB
  28. ^ Plymouth School House data from PAB
  29. ^ Kirk Residence data from PAB
  30. ^ Linden Grove data from PAB
  31. ^ Kaitlyn Foti, "Montgomery County grant aids Plymouth Township in buying historical property," Pottstown Mercury, October 11, 2016.
  32. ^ Hinterleiter House data from PAB
  33. ^ Janet S. Klein, Dickinson/Albertson Farmstead of the Plymouth Meeting Historical Society (National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1987).
  34. ^ The Albertson Farm House, from Plymouth Meeting Historical Society.
  35. ^ Jacob Deeves Residence data from PAB
  36. ^ Maple Hill data from PAB
  37. ^ Nancy Corson Cresson,"Dr. Hiram Corson," Bulletin of the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, vol. 1, no. 3 (October 1937), p. 4.
  38. ^ Livezey House data from PAB
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