William Penn Slate Roof House

Located on the site of the slate roof house penn s rented home in philadelphia the park was named for the welcome the ship which brought penn to america.

William penn slate roof house. Built for barbadian quaker merchant samuel carpenter the house occupied a small hill overlooking the delaware river. Penn replaced the farmhouse with the core of the house found there today. If your roof is in need of repair or replacement know that with william penn roofing a local doylestown roofer your roof will be prepared to withstand severe weather free of leaks and defects giving you piece of mind for your investment. The slate roof house was a mansion that stood on 2nd street north of walnut street in philadelphia pennsylvania from about 1687 until its demolition in 1867.

The house was notable for its large size as well for its slate roof which was a rarity. They lived at pennsbury manor and in the slate roof house from 1699 1701 here at the site of welcome park. It was built of brick in the jacobean style with its façade featuring two projecting wings that flanked a recessed central entrance. It was well documented that penn had rented the slate roof house as his city residence during the 1699 1701 second visit john penn was born there.

The rear of penns shares a similarity to slate roof house penn s townhouse in philadelphia 1699 1701. But despite that building s direct associations with the penn family and pennsylvania s colonial government and despite desperate calls by antiquarians to preserve it the slate roof house was demolished in 1867. What has caused considerable confusion is mistaking the house for the mansion shown in plate 13 of birch s views fig. The house was known as the slate roof house and would been forgotten if it hadn t been for one of its occupants.

A timeline on a wall at the site enumerates penn s accomplishments interspersed with the historic events that were happening during penn s lifetime. There once was a simple house in what is today the historic district in philadelphia. During william penn s final illness from 1712 1718 and until hannah s death in 1726 hannah was pennsylvania s acting proprietor. As it appeared in the year 1800 the mansion shown in birch was erected in the 1790s by the city as part of an unsuccessful attempt.

Penn moved back to england but returned to live in this mansion on second street in 1699. It was called the slate roof house and it stood until 1867 when it was destroyed because of its condition. Born in 1671 hannah married william penn in 1696. A logical starting point for our tour is welcome park an homage to the city s founder william penn.

Even in philadelphia the second largest city in the english speaking world at the time of the revolution slates were so rare that the slate roof house distinctly referred to william penn s home built late in the 1600s. Penns was enlarged in 1737 40 to how it is seen today by the penn s grandson william penn iv 1703 1746.