Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall | |
 Maulsby-Corson-Hovenden House, built c.1795. | |
   | |
| Location | 1 E. Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°6′10″N 75°16′41″W / 40.10278°N 75.27806°W |
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | c.1795, 1856 |
| Built by | Samuel Maulsby (house & barn) George Corson (Abolition Hall) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000713[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 18, 1971 |
| Designated PHMC | November 18, 2000[2] |
The Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall is a group of historic buildings which are located in Plymouth Meeting, Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In the decades prior to the American Civil War, this property served as an important station on the Underground Railroad. Abolition Hall was built to be a meeting place for abolitionists, and later was the studio of artist Thomas Hovenden.
The house is located at the northeast corner of Germantown and Butler Pikes, diagonally opposite the Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse. Northeast of the house is the stone barn, and attached to the barn's northeast corner is the two-story carriage house known as Abolition Hall. The three buildings are part of a 10.45-acre farm, and are contributing properties in the Plymouth Meeting Historic District.[3]
The property was threatened by a 2016 proposal to reroute Butler Pike between the Hovenden House and its barn. Preservation Pennsylvania added the property to its 2017 Pennsylvania At Risk list.[4][5] However, in 2021, it was announced that the township and the Whitemarsh Art Center would buy the property for $3.95 million preserving it for use by the center.[6]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2012-05-13. Note: This includes Nancy Corson (April 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ^ Press release: "2017 Pennsylvania At Risk Announced" (PDF) Archived 2017-09-12 at the Wayback Machine, Preservation Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA, February 2017.
- ^ Haas, Kimberly (28 February 2020). "Hope and Despair Surround Philly's African-American Landmarks". Hidden City Philadelphia. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ "An Underground Railroad site in Montgomery County eyed by developers will be preserved". 15 April 2021.