Once upon a time there was a mansion that stood in the Narcissa section of Whitpain. It was a simple farmstead until it was renovated into a summer home.
The Harry Family Tract
Since the early 18th century, the land on the southwest corner of Whitpain Township was owned by the Harry family of Welsh Quaker origin. It started with David Harry, of Chester County, who purchased 100 acres of land from Rees Thomas. Around the 1760s, John Harry, the son of David Harry, owned the property with his brothers Samuel and Rees adjoining him.
In 1768, John Harry sold his property to John Sanders. In 1796, it was passed on to a stone mason named Jacob Weber. During his ownership, he purchased an additional 6 acres from Aquilla Tool in 1800. His daughter Margaret married Daniel Williams who then took over Jacob Weber's homestead in 1825. In 1833, Daniel sold the homestead to William Zorns (1791-1883).
In 1876, Edward Judson Stannard (1829-1910) moved from his hometown of Rutland, Vermont to Whitpain where he purchased the Zorns property.
John Cadwalader, Jr. and the Cadwalader Family
In 1914, an attorney named John Cadwalader, Jr. (1874-1934) purchased the Stannard property, and made "alterations and enlargements" to the barn and to the old homestead with an addition built.
John Cadwalader, Jr. came from the line of Cadwaladers, the first being John Cadwalader (1677-1734) who came to Philadelphia from Wales in 1697, settling in the "Welsh Tract" two years afterwards. He then moved to Philadelphia after his marriage and worked as an instructor and then as a merchant. In 1718, he was elected as a member of the common council of Philadelphia. In 1729, he then became a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
His son, Dr. Thomas Cadwalader (1707-1779), studied medicine under his uncle Dr. Evan Jones, and continued studying in the field in London. When he returned to Philadelphia, he was in the middle of the smallpox epidemic of the 1730s. It was his opportunity to show what he learned from medical school, and began inoculating people as well as dissecting citizens.
Fun Fact #1: Dr. Thomas was known for publishing a 1745 pamphlet about lead poisoning.
Dr. Thomas decided to reside in Trenton, New Jersey where he became the first burgess under Governor Jonathan Belcher. In 1750, he returned to Philadelphia and became a member of the common council of Philadelphia like his father. Around the same year, he became the original subscribers and physicians of the Pennsylvania Hospital.
He was an ardent patriot and supporter of the American cause during the American Revolutionary War. He even donated most of his money to the cause, which the PA Assembly did not approve of.
After the creation of the medical department at the University of Pennsylvania in 1765, Dr. Thomas became a trustee.
His son John Cadwalader (1742-1786) worked with his brother Lambert in a business firm in Philadelphia. When the revolution broke out, he became the captain of a Philadelphia militia named the "Silk Stocking Corps." He was then appointed colonel of the Third Battalion of the Philadelphia militia. Under General George Washington's leadership, John led his militia during the Battles of Trenton and Princeton.
Fun Fact #2: General John Cadwalader and his army were part of the famous crossing of the Delaware River.
He played a major part during the Battle of Princeton. He gathered information regarding every move, strategy, and resource from the British Army to Washington. When the battle came, he went into action and claimed victory at Princeton. Washington described him as a "military genius" and a "dangerous incendiary" during his battle at Monmouth.
General Thomas Cadwalader (1779-1841) was provided the best education from his father at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a Bachelor of Arts.
He was part of a calvary to stop an insurrection in Pennsylvania that was formed by Pennsylvania Dutch farmers after the high expenses of the war against France, known as the Quasi-War. The insurrection became known as Fries's Rebellion. (Read President John Adam's proclamation of the insurrection here!) He later served in the War of 1812 as lieutenant general and later as major general.
Following the line of UPenn graduates, Justice John Cadwalader (1805-1879) earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, focusing in law, in 1821, and was admitted into the Philadelphia bar at age 16! In 1870, the University of Pennsylvania granted John an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
From 1833 to 1853 he was vice-provost of the Law Academy of Philadelphia. He was able to earn his reputation in several districts in Philadelphia, and earned his spot in Congress in 1854 representing the 5th district. Even with honor, John denied renomination for Congress.
In 1858, President James Buchanan appointed John as the Judge of the United States District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania. He held onto that position until his death.
Fun Fact #3: John Cadwalader was the only member of the Cadwalader family who declined to serve on the board of trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.
John Cadwalader (1843-1925) continued to follow his father's UPenn footsteps, and graduated in 1862 with a degree of Bachelor of Arts, and later earning his Master of Arts in 1865. The University of Pennsylvania granted John an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in 1912.
He was interested in politics, possibly by his father's political career, and became a favorable candidate for city council, state legislator, Congress, and other offices as a Jeffersonian Democrat. John was then appointed by President Grover Cleveland in 1885 as Collector of the Port of Philadelphia until leaving the position in 1889. He refused the Democratic nomination to run for mayor of Philadelphia.
John Cadwalader, Jr., the owner of the former Stannard farm in Whitpain, was educated not only from his family's alma mater UPenn, but also took graduate courses at Yale University. After law school he was mentored under George Tucker Bispham, who was actually a student of his grandfather, John Cadwalader. On that same year, 1897, he was admitted to the bar.
Under PA Governor Samuel Pennypacker, he was appointed as a minority member of the first Board of Registration Commissioners. He served from 1906 to 1911.
In 1907, John published two volumes (Volume 1 and Volume 2) of "Cadwalader's Cases" that discussed about the decisions made by his grandfather as a judge.
Architecture
The architect responsible for the alterations and additions made on John Cadwalader's home in Whitpain was Thomas B. Lippincott. He was behind the designs of the Merion Manor Apartments in Merion Station and the Casa Del So Apartments in Haverford.
Looking at the front facade of the home, you would immediately see five Doric columns that create a full-facade porch that covers the full width and height of the facade. The elaborated door surrounds is easily seen on the doorway, which has a full transom light feature with a pediment-frame roof over the door.
A nice feature to mention is the dentils under the cornice.
The main difference between a Greek Revival and a Neoclassical style is whether it has a side extension or not. For the Cadwalader mansion, it shows more of a Greek Revival style look from the front facade, but with the side extensions attached on both sides of the main house, it shows a Neoclassical style. Overall, it definitely shows an interest of Greek-inspired architecture from John Cadwalader.
There were other buildings on the Cadwalader tract like the barn, a springhouse and a smokehouse. The barn had a datestone on it that said the year 1814 with the initials "WZ," that belonged to William Zorns. The barn was burned down in 1933, and it was rebuilt to match its original construction. The springhouse was dug out on the side of the hill on the property.
Bibliography
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"Local History. Historical Sketch of the Former Steep Farm, Now James Mooney's, in the South Corner of Whitpain--Prepared by E.M." Ambler Gazette. May 5, 1898. Page 7. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/1005/rec/1.
McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses: The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2017): 246-264, 434-446.
Morris, William E, and Smith & Wistar. Map of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: from original surveys. [Philadelphia: Smith & Wistar, 1849] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012590207/.
Quinn, James A. "Harry and Harris families of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting (Pennsylvania): Part 3. Genealogical Outline of the Harry family of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting." Friends Publishing Corporation. Last modified April 2011. https://www.friendsjournal.org/legacy/abington/gwynedd/harry.html.
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