A request from a local resident.
Who Was J. W. Lutz?
It was stated that Justus W. Lutz (1839-1913) lived in Penllyn with his family for more than half a century. I would assume the Lutz family lived in Penllyn since after the 1850s, since on the 1849 Montgomery County map didn't mention his name at the time. All we know about Justus Lutz was that he served in the Civil War, specifically in the 1st Regiment, Pennsylvania Cavalry (15th Reserves), Company B. After the war, he became a well-known carpenter and builder for the people of Ambler and Penllyn as well as other communities in Montgomery County.
NOTE: There was a possibility he built his home after settling in Penllyn since he was an experienced builder.
Justus was mostly known for being the president of the Ambler Building and Loan Association (known today as the Ambler Savings Bank).
He was married to Mary Jane Lutz (1841-1927), and had eight children.
From Wissinoming to Penllyn
Thomas Castor Foster (1860-1910) was descended from the Castor family (his mother's side) of the Wissinoming section of Philadelphia. He was born and raised at the old family mansion, and it remained in the family for nearly 200 years.
The mansion was built in 1762 by his ancestor Hans Georg Gerster (John George Castor)(1710-1797), who emigrated to Philadelphia in 1736.
His great-grandfather George Castor (1765-1844) purchased a mansion on Castor Road by the Delaware River. It was owned by George Castor and his descendants, including Jesse Yonker Castor (1794-1840) and Thomas C. Foster's mother Josephine.
It was stated that his home was originally owned and built by the Swedish settlers when they emigrated to Philadelphia:
"The early Swedes were the first to own this property, and it was a famous gathering place for the Swedish settlers who had crossed the river to make their settlement on the wide-reaching Pennsylvania farm lands, extending in splendid fertility down to the water-front without the usual intervening marsh lands. Here on the slope of Tacony Farm, the Swedes built the little low part of the present mansion. Built it for special safety, after the quaint architecture of the day, with the first floor largely underground, and the windows level with the soil. This rambling two-story structure, substantially built of stone and plaster, was considered a very pretentious dwelling when erected, over two centuries ago, and it was the special pride of the early Swedish settlers."
- George Castor Martin, 51-52
It was Thomas who sold his family homestead, and moved to Germantown before settling down in Penllyn where he purchased an old homstead from Justus W. Lutz. He hired contractors and architect Mantle Fielding to renovate and improve the former Lutz property.
The Vollrath Couple
After the death of Thomas C. Foster, his widow Elizabeth Lee Naile Foster (1870-1935) sold the property to Albert J. and Florence B. Vollrath.
After purchasing the property, Albert J. Vollrath made an addition to the house, and added a bungalow on the property for his gardener.
Architecture
There are notable features on the front entrance of the home. Right away, you would see the Mansard roof, common for Second Empire homes. Another feature I saw was the segmental arch windows on top of the main section of the house, which was also common for Second Empire homes. But then, there's a Transom window above the doorway, which was a common feature for Georgian-style homes. Another colonial feature I found on the home was the paired end chimneys.
When viewing the pictures of the interior, I right away see big fireplaces located in different rooms. The designs surrounding the fireplaces made it look colonial, possibly thinking these fireplaces were built around the time the home was built.
One 20th century feature I found fascinating was the vintage porcelain pedestal sink, which was popular in the early 20th century. You would also see this bathroom feature in the home of J.W. Craft!
Bibliography
Martin, George Castor. The Castor Family of Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia: Martin & Allardyce, 1910): 10-15, 47-57.
"MARY JANE LUTZ." Ambler Gazette. October 13, 1927. Page 4. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/15257/rec/1.
McHeran, Marie, Ann Peltz, and John Altomari. "Wissinoming." Historical Northeast Philadelphia: Stories and Memories. Last modified 1994. https://bricep.net/archive/northeast_philly_history/wissinoming.html.
Mueller, A. H. Atlas of the North Penn Section of Montgomery County, Pa., Plate 27, 1916.
"Penllyn Man Dies." Ambler Gazette. December 22, 1910. Page 1. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/4180/rec/1.
Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, v. 25, n. 15 (1910): 25.
Scott, J. D. Montgomery County 1877, Gwynedd, North Wales, Ambler, Royer's Ford, Limerick Station, 1877.
The Colonial Society of Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia: The Colonial Society of Pennsylvania, 1902): 52.
"Wissahickon Valley Public Library's Ambler Gazette Collection." POWER Library: Pennsylvania's Electronic Library. Accessed June 6, 2022. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/wivp-gazett.
Comments