Lowry came from a notable family of Welsh and English descent. When John died, the house passed on to oldest son Daniel Wister (1738-1805) who had worked alongside his father in business.ĭaniel married Lowry Jones in a Quaker Ceremony. *The article ”The Wistar-Wister Family: A PA Family’s Contributions Towards American Cultural Development” by Milton Rubincam was the source for the facts in these paragraphs. In addition, John regularly sent money to relatives in Germany and he ordered bread to be baked every Saturday which he then passed out personally to the poor people who came to his door. He was especially friendly with the hermits of the Wissahickon, and gave his financial support to several. John Wister was also a great benefactor to all sorts of local Germantown characters. John and his brother were also among the original contributors to the Pennsylvania Hospital. John Wister’s Public Service and Generosity.* John and his brother Caspar were among the 33 founders of the Fellowship Fire Company, the second oldest fire company in Philadelphia (1738). In part to protect his family and remove them “from the plaguing diseases and germs that were prevalent in the central parts of Philadelphia city…" the port neighborhoods in particular.Ĭonstructed of local Wissahickon schist and oak timbers hewn from Wister’s woods, the house was known through-out the 18th century as ‘John Wister’s Big House.’ John owned farmland in both Germantown and in Lancaster.Īfter his first wife died, John married Anna Catherina Rubincam and built this house in Germantown in 1744 as a family country home. He and his family spent most of the year in their house on Market Street in Philadelphia, and then spent their summers in Germantown. John Wister owned multiple properties in and around Philadelphia. We now distinguish between John Wister and Casper Wistar, but the eventual Anglicizing of their names were interchangeable by the brothers and their families. Casper quickly became established as a glass manufacturer and accumulated land in the colonial city. His brother, Casper Wistar had come to Philadelphia in 1717. Growing up, PhilaLandmarks founder Frances Anne Wister made many visits to Grumblethorpe and to other Wister family homes including Belfield, the home of her paternal grandparents, Wakefield, Stenton, and Vernon.Īt age 19, John Wister (1708 - 1789) emigrated from the village of Hilsbach outside of Heidelberg, Germany to Philadelphia in 1727. Coming up in the later half of 20, we will be embarking on further restoration projects at this unique historic propertyįor almost 200 years, Grumblethorpe was the home of the Wister family. Since acquiring the building in 1941, PhilaLandmarks has restored and furnished the house and cultivated the gardens to reflect the interests and tastes of various generations of Wisters. who gave the house its new name: Grumblethorpe. He modified the front and back facades to Federal era architectural trends, created additions, and even had an observatory built. In the early 19th century, Charles Jones Wister Sr., John’s grandson, an astronomer, horticulturalist and inventor, made this Germantown house the permanent family home. This house was also taken over by the British and used as one of its headquarters during the Battle of Germantown in October 1777, as John Wister was staying in his Market Street home in Philadelphia and John’s son Daniel and his family had fled to a relative’s house in what is now Lower Gwynedd. Intended as a summer retreat, the house provided a refuge for the family from the humid Philadelphia summers, and in 1793, the family stayed in Germantown to avoid the yellow fever epidemic. Known through-out the 18th century as John Wister’s Big House, Grumblethorpe was just one of John’s many properties in Philadelphia and Lancaster. Set on 7.5-acres, the property included a farm, gardens, and orchards with fruit trees to supplement John’s wine importing business. Notable features include the stone coursing of the facade, front and rear balconies and the double front entrances. Constructed of local Wissahickon schist and oak timbers hewn from Wister’s woods, the house is a prime example of Germantown architecture of the period. German immigrant John Wister (Johannes Wüster, 1705-1789) built this house in 1744 as a family country home outside of Philadelphia.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |