RittenhouseTown Historic District

Rittenhousetown Historic District

Rittenhouse homestead
Location 206–210 Lincoln Drive,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°1′43″N 75°11′28″W / 40.02861°N 75.19111°W / 40.02861; -75.19111Coordinates: 40°1′43″N 75°11′28″W / 40.02861°N 75.19111°W / 40.02861; -75.19111
Area 84 acres (34 ha)
Built 1690–1732
Architectural style Georgian, Federal
NRHP Reference # 92001878
Significant dates
Added to NRHP April 27, 1992[1]
Designated NHLD April 27, 1992[2]
Designated PHMC April 8, 1991[3]

The Rittenhousetown Historic District was an early industrial community where the first paper mill in British North America was built by William Rittenhouse and his son Nicholas on the north bank of Monoshone Creek near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Flax was woven into linen in nearby Germantown. When the linen fabrics wore out, the rags were brought to Rittenhousetown to be made into paper. Paper produced at the Rittenhouse mill was sold to printers in Germantown, Philadelphia, and New York City. In 1890, Rittenhousetown became part of the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

The site was acquired through donations and several purchases by the City of Philadelphia through the Fairmount Park Commission over the years from 1890 to 1917.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a National Historic Landmark District on April 27, 1992.[2][4]

Historic RittenhouseTown, Inc. was formed in 1984 to preserve, restore, and historically interpret RittenhouseTown.[5] The group maintains five historic buildings: Abraham Rittenhouse Home (c. 1720), which serves as the visitor center; Rittenhouse Homestead (1707); Enoch Rittenhouse Home; Jacob Rittenhouse Home; and the Rittenhouse Home. There is also a barn and bakehouse that are used for paper-making and cooking demonstrations.

Outbuilding, 207A Lincoln Drive, Fairmount Park

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ "NRHP Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Rittenhousetown Historic District". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
  3. ↑ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  4. ↑ Noble, Timothy M (November 18, 1991). "Rittenhousetown Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service.
  5. ↑ Historic RittenhouseTown
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