Selma Mansion is one of the oldest structures in

Norristown Norristown may mean: * Norristown, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home ...

, Pennsylvania. Located on the western edge of the town, Selma was built by General Andrew Porter in 1794 around an existing structure purchased from Alexander McCammon in 1786. Porter was a soldier during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and helped found the

Continental Marines The Continental Marines were the Amphibious warfare, amphibious infantry of the Thirteen Colonies, American Colonies (and later the United States) during the American Revolutionary War. The Corps was formed by the Continental Congress on Novem ...

, forerunner of the U.S. Marine Corps. He was later appointed Surveyor General, helped lay out the borders of the

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

and attained the rank of general.

History

Andrew's Porters sons were raised at Selma Mansion and went on to distinguished careers in law, politics, and government. His eldest son, Richard Porter, was president judge of the 3rd judicial district of Pennsylvania. His second son,

David Rittenhouse Porter David Rittenhouse Porter (October 31, 1788 – August 6, 1867) was the ninth governor of Pennsylvania. Voted into office during the controversial 1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, which was characterized by intense anti-Masonic and anti ...

, named for Andrew's friend and neighbor,

David Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse (April 8, 1732 – June 26, 1796) was an American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society ...

, served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1839 - 1845. His third son,

George Bryan Porter George Bryan Porter (February 9, 1791 – July 6, 1834) was an American politician, statesman in Pennsylvania and Territorial governor of Michigan from August 6, 1831, until his death on July 6, 1834. Early life Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, ...

, was appointed governor of

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

by President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. Andrew's youngest son,

James Madison Porter James Madison Porter (January 6, 1793 – November 11, 1862) served as the 18th United States Secretary of War and a founder of Lafayette College. Porter began his career studying law in 1809 and later became a clerk in the prothonotary's of ...

, was

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

under President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...

and a founder of Lafayette College in Easton. Porter's grandson, Civil War brevet brigadier general

Horace Porter Horace Porter (April 15, 1837May 29, 1921) was an American soldier and diplomat who served as a lieutenant colonel, ordnance officer and staff officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, personal secretary to General and President Ul ...

, was the aide-de-camp and personal secretary to

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, and was ambassador to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

from 1897-1905,Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . pp. 435-436 while his granddaughter Eliza Parker married Robert Todd and gave birth to a daughter,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, the wife of eventual U.S. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. In 1821 the property was sold to Andrew Knox Jr., who later passed it on to his son Col. Thomas P. Knox, farmer and president of Pennsylvania's agricultural society. Selma later passed into the hands of the Fornance family, whose patriarch, Joseph Fornance, represented Norristown and Montgomery County in the 26th and

27th United States Congress The 27th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. between March 4, 1 ...

. His son, also Joseph Fornance, lived in the house with his wife Ellen Knox Fornance and their family passing the home on to their son Joseph Knox Fornance and his wife Ruth Ryder Fornance. The mansion remained in the Fornance family until 1982. The mansion was built in the

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

, although the interior woodwork and proportions are

Colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

. The porches are

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

, having been added in the mid-19th century. A Pennsylvania state historical marker, authorized by the state's Historical and Museum Commission, stands on the site.

References

External links

*http://norristown.org/discover-norristown/our-history *National Governor's Association, http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_pennsylvania/col2-content/main-content-list/title_porter_david.html *Litchfield Historical Society, http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/ledger/students/2044 *Skillman, David Bishop, The Biography of a College. Easton: Lafayette College Press, 1932. Reproduced at http://www.lafayette.edu/about/history/the-naming-of-a-college/ *Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . pp. 435–436 {{coord, 40.12317, -75.36009, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Norristown, Pennsylvania Federal architecture in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1794 Houses in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania 1794 establishments in Pennsylvania