Richard Wall house

Wall House
Pennsylvania state historical marker
Richard Wall house in October 2018
Richard Wall house is located in Philadelphia
Richard Wall house
Location within Philadelphia
LocationWall Park Drive, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40°4′42″N 75°7′44″W / 40.07833°N 75.12889°W / 40.07833; -75.12889
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1682
NRHP reference No.79002302[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 28, 1979
Designated PHMCNovember 21, 1982[2]

The Richard Wall house is a historic home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, built in 1682. It was owned by the Wall family for 165 years,[3][4] and was in continuous occupancy from its construction until 1979. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as Wall House and is also sometimes referred to as The Ivy.[5]

The home has undergone several renovations, and a section of the basement wall is the only original remaining construction. It was the site of religious meetings and weddings, and among the earliest locations of Quaker worship in the United States. It is now a museum open to the public, and is located at Church Road and Wall Park Drive in Elkins Park.

History

The Wall House from the rear
A mile marker on the Wall House grounds
A beehive oven and a water pump on the side porch of the Wall House

Richard Wall was one of the fifteen original founders of Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania,[6] likely arriving with William Penn's group of Quakers in 1682. They named the township for the main town in Gloucestershire, England, where they originated.[7]

In 1692, the house was first constructed as a log cabin in the wilderness, with a stone fireplace wall, the masonry that can still be seen in the present construction. The Walls made renovations from around 1730 to 1805, many probably due to the growth of the Wall family.[7]

The Wall family was joined in marriage by the Shoemaker family. The families owned a corn grist mill on Tacony Creek. Descendants of the Walls lived in the house until 1847,[4] when it was sold to the Bosler family.

In 1927, running water and electricity were added.[7] The Bosler family remained the owners until 1932, when the property was purchased by the township[5] and named Wall Park. The house was rented from 1932 to 1979. In 1941, Harold C. Pike, the township manager, moved into the home and resided there until his death in 1978.[7]

Since 1980, the house has been managed by the Cheltenham Township Historical Commission,[7] which opened the museum and orientation center in 1994.[8]

The permanent exhibits display elements of life over more than 200 years of residence. Highlights include a fully furnished and electrified 5-foot-tall (1.5 m) doll house created before 1920[9] and a collection of over 100 antique tools.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Richard Wall House Museum", an information sheet provided to visitors of the museum.
  4. 1 2 Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "Wall House (The Ivy)" (historical marker), Church Road and Wall Park Drive, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. 1982.
  5. 1 2 Robert M. Kelly and Mark Blake (n.d.). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania SP Wall House. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 30, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
  6. ↑ "Historic La Mott, PA - A Brief History of Cheltenham". Historic La Mott, Pennsylvania. Chambres and Associates. 2007. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Wall House History - Cheltenham PA". www.cheltenhamtownship.org. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Richard Wall House Museum - Cheltenham PA". www.cheltenhamtownship.org. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  9. ↑ Hirsch, Lois. "The Doll House Lady and Her Doll House", an information sheet provided to visitors of the museum. Collected July 3, 2006.

Further reading

  • Rothschild, Elaine W., A History of Cheltenham Township. Pennsylvania: Cheltenham Township Historical Commission, 1976.
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