Stenton — Attraction in Philadelphia

Like many historic homes, the real interest in visiting this place is to learn from the guides, the people whose knowledge and stories breathe life into a collection of household objects.

My guide was a woman named Jess, and she was great. She shared stories of the family and the structure of the home. It was particularly interesting when she showed all of the inconvenient servants' passages that were built into the house. She was very knowledgeable about the time, and the world that the Logan family and their descendants inhabited.

The grounds of the home are still being refreshed, and the archaeological digs seem to keep finding new artifacts and items to add to the collection. Jesd really explained the process of restoration, and the ways by which the historians, archaeologists, and staff try to reconstruct and recreate life at the Logan family Plantation.

Part of this reconstruction is trying to understand the story of those who were enslaved and indentured, the people whose labor provided all of the wealth that sustains the Logan family. It is an ongoing mystery, and a fascinating one, especially since we do not often hear the stories of the enslaved, especially those enslaved in the North.

I recommend a stop and a tour, along with some time simply to relax in...

After passing Stenton for decades, I finally made it to a tour. Located near the up and coming Wayne Junction Train Stop, Stenton is walking distance away. I drove, but one can walk there.

We arrived and three staff (?) members met us immediately. You see, the 1 P.M. tour that had been reserved were not yet there. We were the 2 P.M. group. We suantered around the grounds, and after those 1 P.M.ers failed to show, we took their place.

We were guided to the outside grounds (a meadow of sorts and a garden along with the some relatively unattended areas) and reviwed a monument or two and the house itself.

Inside, you have many artifacts and relics from the colonial and post-colonial eras. Much of the furniture seems to be of the period or thereabouts. I was happily surprised by the state of the place: kind of remarkable. I learned that that one calls it en suite decoration when the curtains match the drapes as is the case on the second floor.

I believe our guide's name was Elise. She was welcoming and bubbly.

Worth touring if you are in the area. Too bad there is no colonial era distillation going on at this place. I saw a recipe for meade in the kitchen and cider would be appropiate and maybe even...

Stenton, also known as the James Logan Home, was the country home of James Logan, colonial Mayor of Philadelphia and Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The home is located at 4601 North 18th Street in the Logan neighborhood of North Philadelphia.

Stenton, which was named for Logan's father's Scottish birthplace, was built between 1723 and 1730 on 511 acres (2.07 km2) as the country seat of James Logan, who was recognized in his lifetime as "a universal man in the Renaissance tradition."

Arriving in Philadelphia in 1699 as William Penn's secretary, Logan occupied pivotal roles in the colony's government—including that of chief justice of the Supreme Court and acting governor—for 50 years. He assembled one of the best libraries in colonial America, discovered the vital role of pollen in the fertilization of corn (an achievement that caused Linnaeus to consider him "among the demigods of science"), and amassed a fortune in...