Germantown White House | |
 Picture of the Germantown White House | |
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| Location | 5442 Germantown Avenue Germantown,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°2′1.6″N75°10′18.4″W / 40.033778°N 75.171778°W /40.033778; -75.171778 |
| Area | < 1-acre (4,000 m2) |
| Built | 1752 |
| Architect | David Deshler |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000095[1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 13, 1972 |
TheGermantown White House (also known as theDeshler–Morris House) is a historic mansion in theGermantown section ofPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. It is the oldest surviving presidential residence, having twice housedFounding FatherGeorge Washington duringhis presidency.
The house's alternate name comes from its first and last owners: David Deshler, who built it beginning in 1752; and Elliston P. Morris, Jr., who donated it to theNational Park Service in 1948.
Deshler, a merchant, bought a 2-acre (8,100 m2) lot from George and Anna Bringhurst in 1751–52, and constructed a four-room summer cottage. Twenty years later he built a 3-story, 9-room addition to the front, creating one of the most elegant homes in the region.
Isaac Franks, a former colonel in theContinental Army, bought the house following Deshler's 1792 death. It was he who rented it to President Washington.
Later, the house was sold to Elliston and John Perot, and in 1834 to Elliston's son-in-law, Samuel B. Morris. The Morris family lived in the house for over a hundred years, before its 1948 donation to the National Park Service.
On October 4, 1777, it was a scene of fighting in theBattle of Germantown, after which British GeneralSir William Howe occupied the house.
When theYellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 struck Philadelphia, President Washington remained in the city until September, before making his regular autumn trip home toMount Vernon. He and a small group of slaves returned in early November, but Philadelphia was underquarantine and they were rerouted to Germantown, then ten miles (16 km) outside the city.[2]
He first occupied the Dove House, the headmaster's residence forGermantown Academy (now extensively altered and part ofPennsylvania School for the Deaf). He also traveled toReading, Pennsylvania, 60 miles (97 km) northwest of the city, to see if it would make a suitable emergency capital.
Returning to Germantown, from November 16 to 30, he occupied the Isaac Franks house. His wifeMartha, two of her grandchildren,Eleanor Parke Custis andGeorge Washington Parke Custis, and more of their slaves and staff joined him late in the stay.
The following September and October, Washington and his family returned to the Franks house for vacation, although he left early to deal with theWhiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. He met there four times with his cabinet: Secretary of StateThomas Jefferson, Secretary of TreasuryAlexander Hamilton, Attorney GeneralEdmund Randolph, and Secretary of WarHenry Knox. The President posed for painterGilbert Stuart, who kept a studio nearby, and the family attended the German Reformed Church across the square.
Four slaves were held by the Washingtons at the Franks house:Oney Judge, Austin (her brother), Moll, andHercules.
The house is administered byIndependence National Historical Park. In 1972, the house was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. The house is also acontributing property of theColonial Germantown Historic District. In 2009, the National Park Service changed the official name of the house from the "Deshler-Morris House" to the "Germantown White House."
The Bringhurst House, neighboring the Germantown White House on the northwest, was originally owned by John Bringhurst (February 19, 1725 – March 18, 1795), a carriage builder and inventor of the Germantown Wagon; in 1780 he built a carriage forGeorge Washington. His estate consisted of 19 acres (7.7 ha) in Germantown, and was eventually split up by his heirs. Today, near the current historic site, Bringhurst Street is a street named after him which lies on the edge of his former land.[3]
Lieutenant Colonel John Bird was lying sick in the Bringhurst House when theAmerican army attacked on the morning of October 4, 1777. Bird arose from bed to lead his men, but was mortally wounded in the battle. Although a surgeon tried to treat him in Melchoir Meng's house situated on what is now a part ofVernon Park, he was carried back to the Bringhurst House, where he died.[3]
In 1973, the Bringhurst house was donated to the National Park Service from the Germantown Savings Bank in order to "assure access, light, and air for the historic structure". The Bringhurst property is currently in the process of conversion into an exhibition space and welcome center for the Germantown White House landscape.[4]
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