3305 Baring Street
The History of the Building
“Second
Empire-style, two-and-one-half story, stone house with first-floor full-height
windows. Front has been refaced and repointed and porch removed. Paired, carved
robust scrolls below cornice. Slate shingles of mansard replaced with asphalt
shingles. Three dormers with segmental windowheads.”
(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from the application submitted to the
national register of Historic Places, 1985)
Previous Residents
1870:
John
[H.] McIlvain 55 Lumber
merchant; real estate: $30,000; personal: $60,000
Sally A. McIlvain 52 Born in N.J.
Haddie McIlvain 24
Alfred McIlvain 23 Clerk
in a lumber yard
Samuel McIlvain 21 Clerk in a
lumber yard
Laura McIlvain 11
Lerry Donahue 18 Domestic
servant; born in
Mary Bruchy 13 Domestic
servant; born in
(ED 77, 31)
1865 Directory lists John McIlvain John, lumber merchant, NW
corner Baring & 33rd, 3301
Baring St. The 1867 directory lists
John H. McIlvain, lumber, Hamilton below 35th St.
1877: McIlvain,
John H., West Philadelphia; 3305 Baring St.
Prof. Chem. and Min. Ornithologist
and Nat'st. [see 1885 obituary, below]
(A
Directory of the Ornithologists of the United States, 1877)
1880:
John [H.]
McIlvain 68 Gentleman
Sallie A.
McIlvain 58 Born in N.J., father in Pa., mother in N.J.
Laura McIlvain 21
Annie Richards 14 Servant;
born in
Alice Hannam 20 Servant
(ED 483, 22)
1885 Obituary: “JOHN H. McILVAIN.
“John H. Mcllvain, a birthright
member of our Society, died at his residence in West Philadelphia, on the 26th
ult., in his seventy-seventh year.
“He was the eldest son of Hugh and
Hannah Mcllvain of West Philadelphia, and the grandson, on his mother's side,
of John and Rachel Hunt, the latter an approved minister of Darby Meeting. He
was thoroughly convinced of the truth of Friends' principles as he understood
them, and was a great admirer of the character and writings of William Penn.
Though a frequent attender of our little meeting in West Philadelphia, he took
no part in business meetings. For many years engaged in the lumber business on
the west side of the Schuylkill river, his courtesy and probity in dealing won
him many friends among his customers.
“He leaves a wife, three sons, two
daughters, and ten grandchildren, among whom, as well as other relatives and
friends, his gentle loving nature created for him a warm attachment, and by
whom he will be greatly missed.
“A sincere friend of the Indian
race, whose original character he deemed both noble and truthful, he made several
visits to their reservations in what was then considered the ‘far West,’ and
remained among them for months at a time, always parting from them with
friendly feelings on both sides.
“Frequently when a delegation passed
through Philadelphia, on their way to Washington, or on their return, he
managed to interest the whole party sufficiently to induce them to visit him at
his house. The Indians seemed always to recognize that he was their friend, and
he gained their attention when many others failed. The valuable museum of
objects relating to their customs and dress, which he has left, shows many
mementoes of their appreciation of his kindly attentions.
“He possessed great mechanical skill
in imitating some of their productions, notably, bows, arrows and arrow-heads,
which he made so deftly, that they could scarcely be distinguished from the
originals, which he had copied. The arrow-heads he made by the Indian mode of
chipping the mineral of which they were composed, by pressure, using hard
bones, precisely as the Indian workman did, and producing specimens, accurate
and of the highest finish.
“He was an earnest lover and close
observer of nature, and never seemed more at home than when among the
mountains, or on the great prairies of the West. This bent of mind made him an
ornithologist [sic.], and his intimate knowledge of the habits and notes of the
birds of our country, from personal observation, was shown, in the wonderful
skill with which his specimens were mounted, always true to nature, a skill, as
competent judges have testified, second to none in this country, and to which,
the beautiful collection in his museum bears visible evidence. In this
interesting pursuit he mostly hunted and killed his birds, and although a good
shot he never destroyed life without an object, and when sufficient specimens
were secured, desisted from his work.
“On such subjects as he was
interested in he was a fluent talker, and his conversation was often very
instructive and interesting.
West
Philadelphia, Fifth mo. 3d, 1885.”
(Friends' Intelligencer, Fifth month, 9,
1885)
1885, May 26: Death of Helen Watkin, 7
months years old, daughter of Howard and Laura Watkin of 3305 Baring St.
Burial at Mt. Moriah
Cemetery, 63rd & Kingsessing Ave. (Phila.
Death Index)
1890 Directory: Howard Watkin (Weimmer,
Wright & Watkin) h 3305 Baring
Isaac Watkin
In 1880,
Isaac and his son Howard lived at 143 11th St.
1892: Henry Watkin joined a law suit aimed at stopping the
electric trolleys on Baring St. to replace the old horse-drawn streetcars. (See the Powelton
History Blog for details.)
1892, Feb 12: Death of Lillian Watkin,
5 years, 6 months years old,, daughter of Howard and Laura Watkin of 3305 Baring St. Burial at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. (Phila.
Death Index)
1893: Howard Watkin was one of the founders of the Powelton
Club.
1900:
Howard Watkin 41 Dry
goods merchant; married 16 years
Laura M[cIlvain] Watkin 41 Married
16 years, 4 children, 2 surviving; mother born in N.J.
Frank M. Watkin 10
Margarite Watkin 7
Sarah McIlvain 83 Mother-in-law; born in N.J.
Delia McFadden 22 Cook;
born in
Annie Kenney 20 Chambermaid;
born in
(ED 539, 11B
& 12B)
“Weimer, Wright & Watkin, Boots, Shoes and Rubbers, 837
MARKET ST., PHILADELPHIA.
“The ‘Three W's,’ which is the trade
mark of this long established firm, signifies equally the initials of the firm
and the legend "We Wear Well." It is familiar to the shoe trade of
the country, and especially in the states of
“This firm was founded in 1875,
locating first at
“At the present location, the
several floors of a substantial building are heavily stocked with every style
and size of leather and rubber footwear to be found in the market, and which is
probably unequalled by any other house in the city.
“The wholesale price list issued to
the trade includes 118 styles of Ladies' Wear, 25 of Misses', nearly 150 of
Children's and Misses', 41 of Brogans and Plow Shoes, 223 of various kinds of
Men's and Boys' Shoes, besides a long series of Base Ball, Tennis and Bicycle
Shoes, Russet color goods, Boots, Slippers, Oxfords and Prince Alberts,
Rubbers, Shoe Findings and Overgaiters.”
(For a photo of their
factory and a paragraph on why “No
people in the world are as well shod upon such remarkably cheap terms as the
Americans,” see The
city of Philadelphia as it appears in the year 1894, p 224.)
1904:
Alfred E. Baker,
M.D., S.S.B.
Mrs. Anna B. White Baker,
C.S.B. Hours 1-5 Saturdays excepted.;
(Addresses of Christian Science
Practitioners: Christian Science Journal,
v. 22, pg. xx )
1917: Edith May Wells, B. A. [class of ]‘02 M.A. ’06. (Annual Register of Alumnae Assoc. of
1920:
George B. Wells 66 Hat manufacturer; born in
Helen L. Wells 64 Mother born in N.J.
Edith M. Wells 40 Secretary for Y.W.C.A. in China
Annie D. Wells 37
Mary F. Carey 59 Sister;
widowed; born in
(ED 682, 10A)
In 1910, they lived at 3302
Baring St. (See that page for
biographical information.)
1950 Directory:
Revised 1/4/2012 About Powelton Village