Growdon Mansion, also known as Trevose Manor, is a local historical landmark in

Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania Bensalem Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The township borders the northeastern section of Philadelphia and includes the communities of Andalusia, Bensalem, Bridgewater, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, Flushing, Oakford, Sil ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It played an important role in early

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

history. The mansion sits along the

Neshaminy Creek Neshaminy Creek is a United States Geological Survey. National Hydrography DatasetThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 stream that runs entirely through Bucks County, Pennsylvania, rising south of the borough of Chalfont, where its north a ...

in Bensalem, a township that borders the northeast section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, in the northeastern United States.

History

The history of Growden Mansion dates back to the late 17th century, around October 24, 1681, when Cornish father Lawrence Growden and his son Joseph Growden, a rich pewterer family from

St Merryn St Merryn ( kw, S. Meryn) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about south of the fishing port of Padstow and northeast of the coastal resort of Newquay. The village has a ...

,Rowse, A.L. The Cousin Jacks, The Cornish in America purchased about from

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

. In 1683 Joseph Growden settled on this land and built "The Manor of Bensalem" for their family. Joseph Growden had a son, Lawrence Growden, born on March 14, 1693. He then had two daughters, Elizabeth who married Thomas Nickleson of Philadelphia, and Grace Galloway who married

Joseph Galloway Joseph Galloway (1731August 29, 1803) was an American attorney and a leading political figure in the events immediately preceding the founding of the United States in the late 1700s. As a staunch opponent of American independence, he would bec ...

, a loyalist politian. Grace and Joseph Galloway inherited the land on October 18, 1753, and inherited three tracts of land, Trevose,

Belmont (Bensalem, Pennsylvania) Belmont is a historic home located at Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was built about 1850, and is an "L"-shaped, 2 3/4-story, stuccoed stone dwelling in the Greek Revival style. It has a hipped roof and features a one-story, wraparoun ...

, and Richelieu in Bensalem township containing a total of 1,425 acres and four tracts in Durham Township containing iron mines and furnaces. The Growdens also acquired property in Bristol (as Lawrence Growden was named the Merchant of Bristol in 1730) and Philadelphia, from Front to 4th Streets, along Lombard St. Since women could not own property during that time, Joseph Galloway became the sole proprietor. Joseph Galloway, a Tory (British Loyalist), left for England mid-war to seek sanctuary once the war turned in favor of the Colonists. Joseph took their daughter Elizabeth with him to England, and Grace stayed behind to wage an extensive fight to retain the properties in which they (she) had inherited. She kept an in-depth diary of the struggles and hardships that she faced and was particularly concerned with the descent from financial and social standing both in her husband's absence and upon being forcibly evicted from her home in August 1778. She had refused to submit to the condition of acknowledging the Patriot rule and renounce her Loyalist ties to receive a pension. A member of one of the wealthiest and most notable families of her day, her reputation was ruined by her marriage to Galloway -- it was guilt by association once he showed his Torry colors. She noted in her will that those properties should be passed on to her daughter, Elizabeth (Betsey), upon her death. Grace Growden died on February 6, 1782, and

died on August 29, 1803. Their daughter Elizabeth then had inherited the land and sold it in 1848, when the house again underwent major changes. Galloway was good friends with

William Franklin William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial Gov ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

's son. Franklin often visited him at his many estates, traveling 25 miles to Trevose from Philadelphia on horseback or by carriage. While a local legend maintains that Franklin performed his famous kite-flying experiment at Growden Mansion to prove that lightning was the same as static electricity, the broader consensus is that Franklin flew his kite closer to his home in Philadelphia. Other significant historical figures such as

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

have also stayed at the mansion.

Current status

The Growdon property developed over time and was considered to be one of the strongest and most unusual manors of its day. The home is now operated as a museum by the Historical Society of Bensalem Township. It includes an outbuilding called "The Vault" where the early deeds and county records used to be stored, and the main house still has bullet holes from the Revolution pockmarking its walls.

References

* Baxter, Beverly. "Grace Growdon Galloway: Survival of a Loyalist, 1778-79." Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 3, no. 1 (1978): 62–67. * Berkin, Carol. “Chapter 7: Beat of Drum and Ringing of Bell" Women in the American Revolution." First Generations: Women in Colonial America. Ed. Eric Foner. NY: Hill and Wang, 1996. Print. 165–166.

External links

Bensalem Historical Society
- includes history of Growden Mansion

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1685 Architecture in England National Register of Historic Places in Bucks County, Pennsylvania 1685 establishments in Pennsylvania Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania