The History of the Building
“Italianate roughcasted
brick, three-story house with stone foundation and flat overhanging roof with modillioned wood cornice. Frill-height first-floor windows,
altered circa 1940. Fluted posts of wood porch and swans neck lintels on
second--floor windows, Circa 1905 Colonial Revival alterations.”
(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from
the application submitted to the national register of Historic Places, 1985)
1873: Coleman
Sellers’s grandson, Harold S. Colton, described the house as having four long
French windows across the front of the living room
and parlor that opened onto the front porch. On the west Side lay a large
garden. In 1873, Sellers “extended the west
side adding a second room for his extensive library and enlarged the dining
room making it quite long. The walls he hung with many portraits of the family
by his grandfather Charles Wilson Peale. On the second floor the master bedroom over the dining room
was lengthened and over the new library a sunny glass-enclosed conservatory was
built, where his wife Cora could keep her flowers in the wintertime. Besides
the improvements to the west wing he built between the kitchen and dining room
a pantry over which were private baths on each
floor. On the third floor over the kitchen wing he built an office for himself
and a laboratory or shop reached by new back stairs. After the improvements were complete Jessie [Sellers, his daughter] was
given the large bedroom on the third floor not only with a private hath hilt
also with a fireplace.” Sellers
“had a brick stable back of the garden behind a grape arbor and kept a couple
of horses.” (North of Market Street,
Harold S. Coulton, 1962)
Bromley Atlases of
Philadelphia in 1895 and 1918 show 3302
Hamilton as a “stable.” It is on property belonging to the house at
Previous Residents
of 3301 Baring Street
1858
Directory: McIlvain, John H., 33d & Baring (
The
1887 Directory listed him at “Bridge ab 5th”
(
1861 Directory: McIlvain
John lumber
mer., NW corner Baring & 33d
1866-’67
IRS records: Coleman Sellers, N.W. corner, 33rd and Baring
IRS
records for month of Oct, 1864 list Coleman Sellers:
Coleman
Sellers grew up in
Coleman Sellers
1870:
Coleman
Sellers 43 Manufacturer of machines; real estate:
$100,000; property: $300,000.
Cornelia (Cora) Sellers 38 Born
in Ohio (1880 census)
Coleman
Sellers, Jr. 18 Clerk in a machine shop
Horace Wells (Homer) Sellers 14
Jessie Sellers 16
Alicia Morris 28
I Samuel Watson 24 Waiter; “mulatto;” born in N.J.
Moses Gregory 32 Coachman; born in Ireland
Susan Johnson 36 Domestic servant; born in N.J.
(1st Enum.: p 32; 2nd Enum: p 1)
1870,
Jan. 16: Death of Ethel Powell, 6 months years old,
daughter of Charles and Hannah Powell of 3301 Baring St. She was born in N.J. Burial at New Jerusalem,
Upper Darby.
1880:
Coleman Sellers
52 Draftsman
Cornelia Sellers 48 Born in Ohio
Coleman Sellers, Jr. 27 Architect
Horace W. Sellers 22 Machinist
Sabin W. Colton 33 Son-in-law;
banker
Jessie S. Colton 25 Daughter
Francis Simpson 12 [Relation
not stated]; at school; born in
Clara Corad 26 Servant; parents born in
Jennie Doyle 20 Servant; born in N.Y., parents born in
Mary Looney 40 Cook; born in
Henry Simpson 19 [Relation
not stated]; Cadet Eng., U.S. Navy; born in
Charlotte Simpson 17 [Relation
not stated]; at school; born in England
(ED 483, 26)
Coleman
Sellers was an engineer and inventor.
Perhaps his most interesting invention was the “kinematoscope,”
the first operative moving-picture machine (1861) that gave us the word
cinema. He was also the chief engineer
for the first hydroelectric dam at
Jessie
and Sabin Colton were very recently married.
A few months later, they moved to 410 N. 33rd,
half of a twin built by Coleman Sellers for his children on a part of his
lot. Coleman Sellers, Jr. married within a few months and he and his bride moved to
the other half, 412 N. 33rd
St. His passport application from 1878 gives his date of birth as
September, 1852 in
1896: Mr. and Mrs. Coleman
Sellers, 3301 Baring St.
(AWOSTING FALLS-LAKE MINNEWASKA... “Is located
on the summit of the
..
References: That this object has been attained, the proprietor would
respectfully refer to "the persons whose names are attached to this
circular — nearly all of whom have
remained at the
(http://www.archive.org/stream/cliffhouseonlake00newy/cliffhouseonlake00newy_djvu.txt)
1900:
Coleman Sellers
73 Engineer; owned free of a mortgage
Cornelia Sellers 68 married 49 years, 4 children, 3
surviving; born in Ohio, father in Conn., mother in
Horace W. Sellers 35 Son;
married
Cora Sellers 31 Daughter-in-law, married 1 year, no
children; born in
Gertrude Palmer 24 Boarder; parents born in
Eliza Waters 55 Servant; single; born in
Matilda Clark 21
Servant; single; born in
(ED 539, 8A)
1910:
Coleman Sellers, Jr.
57 Mechanical
engineer; born in Ohio; renting
Helen Emma Sellers 57 Married 21
years; born in N.J.
Coleman Sellers, 3rd 17
Cora Sellers Burnham 24 Daughter; married
once, no children
Enoch L. Burnham 27 Civil engineer
Alice Beach Jackson 61 Sister-in-law;
single; born in Md., parents in N.J.
Theresa McGlinchey 22 Servant;
born in
Katherine Parkinson 21 Servant; born in
Helen Baker 24 Boarder; stenographer; single; born in
(ED 488, 5B-6A, 3B)
Enoch
Lewis Burnham grew up at
214 N. 34th
St. He was the son was the son of
George Burnham Jr. and the grandson of George Burnham, Sr. (3401
Powelton Ave.) and Enoch Lewis (3405
Powelton Ave.).
1911,
Jan. 1: Death of Alice Beach Jackson, of 3301 Baring St. She was the daughter
of J. H. Jackson and Mary Beach. Buried at Rockway Via Dover, N. J.
1916,
Oct. 17: Marriage of Kathlyne Montgomery Shattuck,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. Shattuck of 223 W. Tulpehocken
St., to Coleman Sellers, 3d. at the Second
Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut St.
The maid of honor was Mildred Shattuck. The best man was the groom’s
cousin, Ralph Colton (3409
Powelton Ave.). There were two
flower girls: Margaret and Elizabeth Sellers.
1920:
Coleman Sellers, Jr. 67 Mechanical engineer, machine tools;
born in
Helen G. Sellers 67 Born in
N.Y., parent in N.J.
Gertrude F. Palmer 43 Cousin
Kathryn Brennan 29 Cook; born
in
Alice Brennan 25
Waitress; born in
(ED 682, 10A)
1930:
Paul Rothe 40 Janitor in apartment house; born in
Frieda Rothe 41 born in
Elsie Rothe 17 born in
Edward Scully 80 Widowed; born in N.Y.; rent: $50
Marie Scully 38
John Andrew
30 Leather goods salesman;; born in N.Y.;
rent: $60
Edna M. Andrew 24 Born in N.Y.
William Andrew 4
yrs., 6 months
Harry X. Walsh
41 Professional musician; born in
Kate A. Walsh 41 Secretary
in physician’s office; born in MD.
Edna
D. Yarnall 31 Secretary in an insurance office;
married 21 years ; rent: $42
Charles R. Winslow 30 Government
printer; rent: $50
Florence T. Winslow 27
Emily Day
30 Secretary in a law office; rent: $45
(ED 396, 6B)
1950
Directory: Aymar
K. Allison
Barbara Brantly
Edwin E. Ridgeway (born June 1926; in 1974 he lived at 10166 Ferndale,
Phila.)
A. Trasoff
Samuel A. Wasson, Jr.
1965,
January Powelton Post:
“SHERMAN HEMSLEY HAS LEADING ROLE IN
‘THE BLACKS’”
“Sherman Hemsley,
3301 Baring St., plays
Archibald in Jean Genet’s ‘The Blacks" at the Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. 8th St. Mr. Hemsley's previous
acting experience has been in ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’
and ‘Pearlie Victorious’ for Theatre 14, Philadelphia's all Negro theatre
group.”
<3305
Baring 3300
Baring, south side of street>
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Revised 4/11/2012 About Powelton Village