Historic Strawberry Mansion, formerly known as Summerville, was
built in 1789 by Judge William Lewis, a well-known lawyer and
abolitionist, as a summer home along the Schuylkill River. In 1825,
its second owner, Judge Joseph Hemphill added the first of two
Greek-revival-style wings to the home. The structure of the house
remains largely unchanged to this day and has become one of the
most celebrated historic
...
houses in Philadelphia. Built and expanded in both the Federal and
Empire periods, the Mansion houses antiques, fine art, and
collectibles from the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1930, to
celebrate the magnificence of the extraordinary home, the Committee
of 1926, a group of public-spirited women, restored the Historic
Strawberry Mansion and opened it to the public as a historic house
museum the following year. Today, the Mansion is open to the public
for tours and is also available for use as a private events space.
