File:The guide book to historic Germantown (1902) (14576509839).jpg

Identifier: guidebooktohisto01jenk (find matches)
Title: The guide book to historic Germantown
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Jenkins, Charles Francis, 1865-1951 Site and Relic Society of Germantown (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Subjects:
Publisher: Germantown
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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nd in her <« Records of Later Life, from which the fol-lowing is taken :— Butler Place—or as I then called it, The Farm/ pre-ferring that homely, and far more appropriate, though less dis-tinctive appellation, to the rather more pretentious title, whichneither the extent of the property nor size and style of the housewarranted—was not then our own, and we inhabited it by thekind allowance of an old relation to whom it belonged, in con-sequence of my decided preference for a country to a town resi-dence. . . . Subsequently, I took great interest and pleasure inendeavoring to improve and beautify the ground round thehouse ; I made flower-beds and laid out gravel-walks, and leftan abiding mark of my sojourn there in a double row of twohundred trees, planted along the side of the place, bordered bythe high-road ; many of which, from my and my assistantscombined ignorance, died, or came to no good growth. Butthose that survived our unskillful operations still form a screen of 134
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135 HISTORIC GERMANTOWN shade to the grounds, and protect them in some measure fromthe dust and glare of the highway. Just about this point a British outpost was stationed along theYork Road. Proceeding to Branchtown, on the northeast corner of YorkRoad and Mill Street, is the De Benneville graveyard. Thehouse on the north, just beyond, was built by Joseph Spencer in1746, bought by Dr. De Benneville in 1758, and named by hisson Silver Pine Farm. The Branchtown Hotel, imme-diately opposite, was erected in 1790 by Joseph Spencer. On the left side of the turnpike beyond Branchtown and atthe bottom of the hill is the entrance to Mr. Charles Whartonsplace. Just inside the gateway is a rough stone some eight orten feet in height. Here are buried four American soldierssurprised and shot by the British as they met around their campfire, 1777. For a further account of the York Road and placesbeyond this point, see The Old York Road and its Associa-tions, by Mrs. Anne De Benneville Mears, publi

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