Hope Lodge is a historic building located at 553 South

Bethlehem Pike Bethlehem Pike is a historic long road in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that connects Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It began as a Native American path called the Minsi Trail which developed into a colonial highway called the King ...

in Fort Washington,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in the

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 territori ...

. This mansion has been described as "one of the finest examples of Georgian Colonial architecture in this part of the country. It was used by Continental troops during the 1777

Philadelphia Campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to dra ...

during the American Revolution.

History

Originally named "Whitemarsh Estate," Hope Lodge is a Georgian country mansion built between 1743 and 1748 by Quaker businessman Samuel Morris and designed by

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

architect Edmund Woolley. The Pennsylvania guide noted in 1940 that Morris' English fiancée—for whom the Lodge was allegedly built—broke off the engagement after hearing that "Morris, in his cups, remarked: 'I have built the pen, now all I have to do is to go to England, get the sow, and start the litter.' He died a bachelor, leaving the estate to his brother Joshua." Upon Morris's death in 1770, his brother Joshua sold the property to William West, another

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 Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

. When West died in 1784, the house was purchased by the English banker Henry Hope (to whom Adam Smith dedicated ''

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. First published in ...

'' and whose family would later own and lend their name to the

Hope Diamond The Hope Diamond is a diamond originally extracted in the 17th century from the Kollur Mine in Guntur, India. It is blue in color due to trace amounts of boron. Its exceptional size has revealed new information about the formation of diamonds. ...

) 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 Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

. 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 (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. Hope Lodge is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Mather Mill is part of the Hope Lodge property, but is not open due to structural reasons. HopeLodge HistoricSite

Hope Lodge today

Hope Lodge was operated by the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...

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. The site plays host to various community events, such as Ambler Symphony concerts; as well as an annual reenactment of the 1777 Whitemarsh Encampment. Tours of the interior of the building are available seasonally (April through October).

Owners of Hope Lodge

*1743 to 1770: Samuel Morris (1709-1770) *1770 to 1776: Joshua Morris *1776 to 1784: William and Mary West *1784 to 1832: Watmough Family *1832 to 1921: Wentz Family *1921 to 1922: Keasbey and Mattison Company *1922 to 1957: William and Alice Degn *1957 to Present: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

References

External links

Historic Hope Lodge - Witness to AmericaHope Lodge
at the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) (Library of Congress)
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission"Through a Looking Glass: Colonial and Colonial Revival Hope Lodge" article from ''Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine''
{{Coord, 40.124996, -75.216758, display=title Museums in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania American Revolutionary War sites Pennsylvania in the American Revolution Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Houses in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1750 Pennsylvania state historical marker significations National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

History

Hope Lodge today

Owners of Hope Lodge

See also

Further reading

References

External links