The Camptown Historic District, also known as the La Mott Historic District and Camp William Penn, is a national historic district located in

La Mott, Pennsylvania La Mott is an unincorporated residential community in Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders Philadelphia along Cheltenham Avenue. The name honors Lucretia Mott, who lived here from the 1850s to her death ...

. It was the residence of famous

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and suffragette

Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (''née'' Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position of women in society when she was amongs ...

. It was also a stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. It played a crucial role in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

; from 1863 to 1865 when it hosted

Camp William Penn Camp William Penn was a Union Army training camp located in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania from 1863 to 1865, notable for being the first training ground dedicated to African American troops who enlisted in the United Army during the Americ ...

, a military training post for African-American soldiers. Following the war, many of the soldiers bought homes in the area. The area was said to be named "Camptown," but, since there was already another community in Pennsylvania that used that name, the name "La Mott" was chosen when the post office was established in 1885. The district covers 26 acres, and includes 35 contributing buildings. ''Note:'' This includes It was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1985.

References

External links

Camptown Historic Site Profile
{{Cheltenham Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Gothic Revival architecture in Pennsylvania Italianate architecture in Pennsylvania Historic districts in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania