Historic Quaker Houses of Philadelphia
The Bartram House
Home of John Bartram
The Father of American Botany
Built in 1730, 1770
Above: Bartram’s House and Garden. 5400 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia Image source: Wikipedia, Matthew Halley.
Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia is the oldest surviving botanical garden in the United States. The garden was shaped by multiple generations of the Bartram family, whose work profoundly influenced American botany and horticulture. Quaker farmer John Bartram founded the garden in 1728, with the help of his second wife, Ann Mendenhall Bartram. The garden became a center for plant exploration and international exchange.
John and Ann’s son William Bartram expanded the family’s botanical legacy through his renowned explorations and artistic documentation. Bartram descendants, including John Bartram Jr. and Ann Bartram Carr, further developed the nursery and introduced countless new plant species to American and European gardens.
Ann Bartram Carr was instrumental in modernizing the nursery. She expanded the gardens, and opened the site to the public.
Above: Front elevation of the Bartram House: Image source: Historic American Landscapes Survey, Joseph Elliott, 2002
The Bartram House
In an 1849 Illustration:
Above: Image source: Memorials of John Bartram and Humphrey Marshall, by William Darling, 1849, Internet Archive
John Bartram began constructing this stone house soon after purchasing the land in 1728. He worked on it in phases over the next 40 years. Bartram drew inspiration from classical Italian villas. He incorporated architectural details such as carved Ionic columns and Baroque-style window surrounds.
The house was built using local Wissahickon schist, a type of bedrock that Bartram and his family hand-quarried themselves.
An 1880 Article about John Bartram
In Harper’s New Monthly Magazine:
Above: “The Botanist” illustration by Howard Pyle in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, February 1880, HathiTrust
Floorplan of the Bartram House in 1940
Historic American Buildings Survey:
Above: Floorplan of the Bartram House drawn by Gabriel B. Rothkugel in 1940. Image source: Library of Congress
Bartram’s Gardens - Created in 1728
The Oldest Surviving Botanic Garden in North America:
A Drawing of the Bartram House and Garden in 1758:
Bartram’s Garden is often described as the first botanical garden in North America. Image source: National Gallery of Art
1888: A Hike in Bartram’s Garden
Two Quaker Sisters-in-Law Precariously Perched
By Photographer Marriott Canby Morris:
Image source: Library Company of Philadelphia
Two Quaker sisters-in-law from Philadelphia perch precariously on a rail fence in Bartram’s Garden, high above the Schuylkill River in this 1888 photo by Marriott Canby Morris.
The women are Mary (Minnie) Dawson Tyson Shoemaker (1865 - 1926) and Maria (Minnie) Brinton Shoemaker Kimber (1860 - 1931). The photographer did not identify which woman was which.
In the background are the photographer’s Quaker parents, Elliston P. Morris and Martha Canby Morris,
John Bartram’s Son, William Bartram
America’s First Native-Born Artist / Naturalist:
Above: Row 1: Franklinia alatamaha, Cornus florida, Rhododendron punctatum, Weasel. Row 2: Bartsia coccinea, Oenothera grandiflora, Dionaea muscipula, Alligator. Images source: American Philosophical Society Library
William Bartram was a pioneering American naturalist and botanical artist whose explorations in the late 18th century left an indelible mark on the study of North American flora and fauna. He was born at Bartram’s Gardens in 1739. From 1773 to 1777, Bartram traveled deep into the southeastern wilderness. He documented and illustrated over 200 native plant species, many of which were previously unknown to Western science.
In addition to William Bartram’s explorations and artistic achievements, he played a crucial role in the continued success of his family's botanical legacy at Bartram’s Garden. After the death of his father, John Bartram, in 1777, William and his brother John Jr. took over the management of the garden and its renowned plant nursery.
The Bartram brothers expanded the garden’s plant collections and maintained its status as the most varied assemblage of North American plants in the world. William’s reputation as a naturalist attracted prominent visitors, including President George Washington, who toured the gardens during Philadelphia’s time as the nation’s capital.
William Bartram’s Travels (1791)
A Landmark in Early American Natural History:
Above: William Bartram donated this copy of his Travels to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia in 1792, the year after the book’s publication date. Image source: American Philosophical Society
William Bartram’s Travels, published in 1791, offers an engaging account of his explorations throughout the American South during the 1770s. The book blends Bartram’s keen scientific observations with vivid descriptions of landscapes, plants, animals, and Native American communities.
Bartram illustrated the book with his own drawings. Travels stands out for its combination of careful documentation and expressive narrative. The book captures both the diversity of the region’s natural history and the author’s deep appreciation for its beauty. Widely recognized as a classic of early American literature and natural science, Bartram’s work has influenced generations of naturalists and writers.
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