The History of the Building
The northern edge of this property was part
of the northern boundary of the Bingham-Baring estate.
In January 6, 1859, Robert
Steen bought the NE corner of
“three-story Italianate double, stuccoed, with central shallow pitched gable. Blind center
windows. Nineteenth century porch intact”
(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from
the application submitted to the national register of Historic Places, 1985)
c1955 Renovation:
Converted to three apartments based on plan by D. McCelland. 1st
floor: pantry converted to full bath; first several steps on back stairway
removed and stairway walled off. 2nd floor: North facing room with bay
converted to kitchen, back stairway covered over to make storage area. 3rd floor: North facing room
converted to kitchen.
After 1967
reconverted to single family.
Previous Residents
of 3417 Hamilton Street
1860:
Owen Hughes 40 Hides & tallow; personal property:
$6,000
Eliza M. Hughes 31
William Hughes 11
Fanny M. Hughes 7
Mary Hughes 5
Isaac B. Hughes
1
William Davis 61 Alderman
Mary A. Davis 60 Born in NY
Mer Lunden 17 Servant
(Precinct 7, pg. 89)
1861
& 1862 Directories: Owen Hughes, dealer in hides and
tallow
The
1863 directory lists him at the southwest corner of 33rd and Race
streets (3300
Race St.).
1870:
Abram Detweiler* 43 Flour merchant; real estate valued at
$50,000, personal property worth $20,000
Elizabeth Detweiler 43 Personal
property of $10,000
E. Mary Detweiler 11 Daughter;
born in Virginia
Cathy (Katuro) Detweiler 8 Daughter;
born in Virginia
Mattie Detweiler
6 Son; born in Virginia
Kate Detweiler 4 Daughter, born in Virginia
Mary Sweeny 20 Born in Ireland
* The first enumeration in 1870 lists him as
Alexander.
(ED77, 27; 2nd Enum. p 23)
The 1866 Directory lists him as
“Detweiler, Abram H., com[mercial] mer[chant], 218 N.
Broad, h 229 N 11th.
During
the Civil War, Abram Detweiler (born 1827) was a private in Co. C. of the 175
Pennsylvania Infantry. He served from
Oct., 1862 to Aug., 1863. (In the 1890 Census Veterans Schedules, he is listed as living in
Spring City, Chester Co., Pa.)
1880:
Anna M. Hall 40 Widowed (or divorced)
Edwin Hall 11 Son
William F. Hall
9 Son
Clarence Hall
6 Son
(ED 483
P 29)
Anna
was the widow of Edwin Hall, Senior, who would have been 50 years old. In
1870, they lived at 1625 Race St. (1870 2nd Enum.,
Ward 10, Dist 29, p. 44)
1883: Dudley Chase is listed in the List of Clergy
for the Living Church
1887 Directory: Mary
[Sellers] Bancroft, widow of Edward
In
1870, she was age 50 and already widowed.
She
was living at 3300 Baring St. In
1880, she lived at 125 N. 33rd
St. with her daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth
and Stephen Parrish, (ages 27 and 29) and their son, Frederick [Maxfield] (age 9).
For an introduction to
the Sellers family, see the Powelton
Post, March, 2009.
1895 City Directory
(compiled in Fall, 1894): Mary Bancroft, widow of
Edward.
1894, Dec. 15: Death of Mary
Sellers Bancroft, 77 years old, widow of Edward Bancroft and daughter of the
late John Sellers of Upper Darby. She was a member of the Monthly Meeting of
Friends of Philadelphia. Funeral from her late residence, of 3417 Hamilton St.
1895, March 31: Ad: “For
Rent… 3417 Hamilton, 13 rooms, $60 [per month]” (Phila.
Inquirer)
1899: Louis P. Hamilton is listed in the Journal of Am. Chem. Soc. as
"proposed for membership"
1899, April 14: Ad under
heading “Spring Resorts”: “Wynburne Inn. Five
minutes’ drive from Devon Station, P.R.R.; will open in May under entirely new management. Apply to Miss Ward at the Inn… or 3417
Hamilton St.” (Phila. Inquirer)
1898 Blue Book: William W. Allen
1900:
Matilda Ward 60
William W. Allen 64 Boarder;
an insurance agent
Annie E.
Allen 63 Boarder; married for 16 years: one child.
Allan F.
Fuller 50 Boarder; never married; Superintendent,
Water Bureau
Sarah E. Jones 49 Boarder; never married; school teacher
Margaret Bryant
5 Black, born in Virginia
(ED
1465 P 130)
By 1906, William Allen had moved
next door to 3419
Hamilton St.
1908, March 27: Permit
issued to A. C. Vauclain for an open veranda on 3417
Hamilton St. for the Robert Steen Estate. Cost: $80. (Phila. Inquirer,
Mar. 27)
1910:
Irvin Shupp 59 “Own income”
Susan M. Shupp 62 They had 4 children, 3 surviving
Mary A. Shupp 24 Daughter
Dorothy L. Shupp 17 Daughter
Ernestine Hunter 25 Servant;
black; born in Virginia
(ED 488 Pp. 4b-5a)
In
1880 they lived on West Fairmont Park. He was listed as a merchant.
They had a son Irvin Jr., age 1. In 1910, Irvin, Jr. and his family were
living a block away at 3511
Hamilton.
The 1881 Directory lists “Shupp Irvin (Charles Shupp & Co.) h
Woodside.” The company is listed as selling china at 837 Market.
1913, Philadelphia Inquirer:
“Medical Monopoly Coming, Says Woman.
“Osteopathic Physician Declares That Legislation Tends to Aid One School
of Medicine.
“Declaring that the prime object of the American Medical Association is
a medical Monopoly with a National Department of Health and the representative
in the President's Cabinet, Dr. Minerva Harrington, of 3417 Hamilton street, and graduate of Johns Hopkins University, addressed
the students of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathy last night.
“As
a member of the State Committee of the National League for Medical Freedom, an
organization with 200,000 members in the country, Dr. Harrington expressed the
views of the league as strongly opposed to compulsory medical laws, in that
they benefited certain mode of medical practice to the exclusion of all others.
“’ The league seeks through publicity to
unmask any legislation that endeavors to put into power one system of healing
and by the use of government money, prestige and machinery to enforce its
theories and opinions upon citizens who believe in other forms of healing.
“’ The American Medical Association is the
official organ of the regular school of physicians. At one time it was
ultra-exclusive. Now it has a large membership and has perfected an
organization among State and county medical societies for the purpose of
attaining political influence. It aspires to establish and control a National
Department of Health. Its first step along this line was the quarantining of
contagious diseases; the second was compulsory vaccination.
“’ The whole trend of compulsory medicine
as administered at present shows that presently we shall be forced to submit,
whether we believe or not, to administration of serum which now happens to be a
fad. In the army and navy compulsory vaccination and inoculation with
anti-typhoid serum are both in vogue.’” (Phila. Inquirer, Jan. 25, 1913)
1918, May, 19: Ad: “Nicely
furnished rooms, large unfurnished, 12 minutes from City Hall: Hog Island cars
pass door. 3417 Hamilton St. Phone:
Baring 177.” (Phila. Inquirer)
1919-1920: Penn catalogue lists Glenn Orren Smith as a student. He was from Derry, Pa.
1920:
Helen C. Reherd 37 Widowed
Helen A.
Reherd 26 Daughter; Telephone operator
Vernon L.
Ward 25 Lodger; born in Utah, parents in
England
Irma K.
Ward 24 Lodger; born in Utah, parents in
England
Margaret Mc
Aneney 41 Lodger; stenographer in a department store; born in
Wisconsin
Nellie Mc
Aneney 38 Lodger; stenographer in a department
store; born in Wisconsin,
Florence
Garmany 40 Lodger; a trained nurse for a family
(ED 682 Pg. 1a)
1918, July 9: W. Austin
Obdyke was appointed trustee for estate of Robert Steen by order of Orphans
Court.
1920, Dec. 30: Property sold to Helen
C. Reherd.
1930:
Helen C. Reherd 47 Widowed;
father born in Maryland; owner, house valued at $15,000
Henry E. Jefferson 77 Lodger; never
married; born in Maryland, parents born in England
(ED 396 Pg 2a)
1940 Directory: Mrs. Helen C. Reherd.
1944: Marriage of Helen C. Reherd to Joseph G. Hickey.
(Phila. Marriage Index)
1948: Sold by Helen C. Reherd Hickey and J. Garrett
Hickey to Arthur J. Martin for $6,000.
In
1920 and 1930, Joseph G. Hickey lived with his wife in the 4600 block of
Chester Ave., Philadelphia. He was a
physician. In 1930, he was 54 years old.
1950 Directory: A. J. Martin
M.
Rommel on third floor
1955, Aug 24: Sold to Robert T.
Scotland for $11,200. Listed on deed as three
apartments.
1964, February Powelton Post: “The Choral group will
meet this entire month at the home of ‘Roo and Bob
Scotland, 3417 Hamilton St.”
1967, Oct. 5: Sold by Robert T.
Scotland and Lorna M. Scotland to Maurice Stewart Cameron and Sabra H.
Cameron
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Revised 4/13/2012 About Powelton Village