Last time, I found a home of Keasbey & Mattison Company co-founder Henry G. Keasbey's in Lower Gwynedd where he owned multiple properties all over the township. But, in September 2022, I received a request from a former resident of Ambler who informed me that her former home originally belonged to Henry Keasbey.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. Keasbey
Henry G. Keasbey (1850-1932) was a native of New Jersey and a "silent, though integral, business partner" to Dr. Richard V. Mattison, whom he attended college with and established their company in 1873.
Prior to 1882 when the company moved to Ambler, Keasbey married Anna Foster in April 1877 at the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. They traveled for months in Europe together and visited his wife's childhood home in France near the Rhine river.
The couple returned to Philadelphia where Keasbey worked with Mattison to move their company to a small mill town that would eventually become Ambler. Keasbey then purchased a home in Ambler on Reiff's Mill Road where he raised his family. He lived in southern France to keep his health stable from the cold, winter seasons. That possibly led to his departure in the Keasbey & Mattison Company in 1892 as well as his summer home in Ambler, leaving behind his wife and family.
Anna Keasbey, meanwhile, stayed in Ambler where she contributed so much in the community: she, her mother, and her husband established the Baptist church (now the Korean Presbyterian Church on Forest Avenue and Spring Garden Street) in the borough. She was also one of the founders of the Ambler WCTU to help better human society from consuming alcohol. She held WCTU meetings at her summer home. She died too soon on March 12, 1897 in the Ville Louise in Menton, France.
Fun Fact #1: In the 1950s, their daughter Marguerite A. Keasbey founded the Keasbey Memorial Foundation in honor of her parents. She established the foundation to help US students pursue their education in England where she spent her time with her father.
The House Lives On
It was unknown how long he had possession of his home, but some time in the mid 1910s, his home was purchased by William J. Campbell of Philadelphia as a summer home. During his occupancy, William made improvements on the former Keasbey property by constructing cement walks around the home and tore down the old ice house that stood on the property.
Albert J. Zacharias (1883-1967) and his wife Helen (1898-1964) moved into the Keasbey property after they were married in 1930. During their occupancy, they made additional improvements and alterations on the property. There was a tennis court inserted on the property along Ridge Avenue.
Architecture
The home is located in the triangular section of Ambler between Mount Pleasant Avenue, Ridge Avenue, and Reiffs Mill Road. Right away, the home stands out from all of the homes built surrounding it. It is a Second Empire-style home, showing status of wealth from Henry Keasbey, with the Mansard roof and segmental arched dormers. The porch stayed intact for many years.
Bibliography
Franklin Survey Company. Montgomery County 1949 Vol D, Plate 14, 1949.
Godshalk, Dutch. "The life, times of Dr. Richard V. Mattison, who built an empire in Ambler Borough." The Times Herald. Last modified September 23, 2021. https://www.timesherald.com/2015/04/30/the-life-times-of-dr-richard-v-mattison-who-built-an-empire-in-ambler-borough/.
"Google Maps Area Calculator Tool." DaftLogic. Accessed September 9, 2022. https://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-area-calculator-tool.htm.
"Henry G. Keasbey Dies At 82 Years." Ambler Gazette. June 2, 1932. Page 1. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/21010/rec/845.
"Mrs. Henry G. Keasbey." Ambler Gazette. March 18, 1897. Page 1. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/1317/rec/14.
Mueller, A. H. Atlas of the North Penn Section of Montgomery County, Pa., Plate 28, 1916.
Smith, J.L. Montgomery County 1893, Ambler Borough, 1893.
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