Historic Quaker Houses of Philadelphia

The Johnson House
6306 Germantown Ave. Germantown
Built 1765–68 for Dirck Jansen

Above: The John House in Germantown. Image source: Wikipedia

The Johnson House was built between 1765 and 1768 by wealthy Quaker landowner John Johnson Sr. (1709–1794) as a wedding present for his son, John Johnson Jr., who married Rachel Livezey in 1770 at Germantown Friends Meeting.
Architectural clues suggest the house was constructed by Jacob Knorr, the same master carpenter who built Cliveden, another prominent home from the same era located nearby. Today, the Johnson House is considered the oldest surviving home in Germantown that was built for year-round use.

Johnson House Measured Drawings in 1934
By the Historic American Buildings Survey:

Above: Floorplan of the Johhnson House by Walter H. Poole. Image source: Historic American Buildings Survey

Above: Measured drawings of the Johhnson House by Walter H. Poole. Image source: Historic American Buildings Survey

 The Johnson House
An Important Site on the Underground Railroad:

Above: Image source: Historic Germantown

Above: Image source: JohnsonHouse.org

  The Johnson House was not only a family home but also an important stop on the Underground Railroad. The Johnsons were a prominent Quaker family who opposed slavery on religious and moral grounds. During the 1800s, members of the Johnson family risked their safety to provide shelter and aid to freedom seekers escaping slavery.
Their home became a safe haven in a network of abolitionist efforts in Philadelphia. The family's commitment to anti-slavery activism was part of a broader Quaker movement in the region. The Johnson House today stands as one of the few surviving Underground Railroad stations open to the public.

The Johnson House
Constructed by Mennonite Preacher / Carpenter Jacob Knorr
Who Also Built Cliveden the Same Time:

Above: Cliveden in Germantown, constructed by Jacob Knorr while he was building the Johnson House in the 1760s. Image source: Historic Germantown

  Mennonite preacher / carpenter Jacob Knorr constructed both the Johnson House and Cliveden in the 1760s. Cliveden is the most architecturally ambitious Georgian house in Germantown.
Judge Benjamin Chew built the house as a summer residence for his family. His father, Dr. Samuel Chew, was a Quaker who left the Society of Friends after he advocated military action, a stance that conflicted with the Quakers’ commitment to pacifism.
Judge Chew’s son, Benjamin Chew, was Anglican. So when he built Cliveden he was not restricted by Quaker ideals of architectural plainness and simplicity. The Chew house is a showcase of high-style Georgian design.
Cliveden’s rooftop urns and modillioned pediments would have been excessively ornamental for most Quaker sensibilities. But they were just right for an Anglican Judge like Benjamin Chew.

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