Belmont Mansion is a historic

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

located in

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

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 ...

. Built in the early 18th century, the mansion is one of the finest examples of

Palladian architecture Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

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 territorie ...

. Since 2007, the mansion has hosted the Underground Railroad Museum.

Construction

William Peters William, Willie, Willy, or Bill Peters may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Peters (painter) (1742–1814), British painter * William Theodore Peters (1862–1904), American poet and actor *William Wesley Peters (1912–1991), American ar ...

, an English lawyer and land management agent for the Penn family, bought the property, then a group of farms, in 1742. Peters designed and built the mansion in 1745 and planted formal gardens around it.

During the American Revolution

As the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

approached, the estate passed to William's son, Richard Peters, Jr., who had been born there. Richard served as Speaker of the

Pennsylvania Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

, Pennsylvania State Senator and Judge of the United States District Court. An amateur scientist, he operated the estate farm as a working model of scientific agriculture. Many prominent figures in the Revolution stayed at the mansion at this time, including

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 ...

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 ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, and

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

Part of Fairmount Park

A360, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, night skyline from Belmont Mansion in Fairmount Park, 2009

The property became part of Fairmount Park in 1869 as part of a program to preserve the quality of the water supply. In anticipation of the Philadelphia

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

in 1876, a large dining pavilion was built alongside the mansion. Belmont was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, June 26, 1956. The site continued to be used for public entertaining until it became a historic house museum under the management of the American Women's Heritage Society in 1986. The complex is also available for special events and rentals. In June 2007, the Underground Railroad Museum was opened at the mansion."Belmont Mansion Hosts Underground RR Museum", The ''Bulletin'', Philadelphia
The mansion lends its name to the surrounding neighborhood of Belmont.

References

External links

*
Site at Fairmount Park CommissionSite at Schuylkill River Heritage Area
*
Lithograph of Belmont Mansion
{{Philadelphia African-American museums in Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Philadelphia Houses on the Underground Railroad Landmarks in Philadelphia Museums established in 2007 Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1745 2007 establishments in Pennsylvania Palladian Revival architecture in the United States Houses in Fairmount Park Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia West Fairmount Park

Construction

During the American Revolution

Part of Fairmount Park

See also

References

Further reading

External links