imagine living on the water surrounded by fruit trees what a paradise that would be hi everyone
ken here welcome to this house today we are exploring the lemon house make sure to hit that
subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode of this house henry pratt was born in 1761
to a wealthy family in philadelphia he was very smart with his money investing in real
estate from a young age leasing farms and homes to tenants when he became a shipping merchant he
saw his wealth increased to staggering sums with his wealth he set out to build his dream home but
he wanted something historical in the early days of the united states during his property search
he came across a 43-acre plot which had once belonged to robert morris who had famously signed
the declaration of independence and co-wrote the constitution he had also financed a large portion
of the artillery required for the revolutionaries fight against the british unfortunately robert's
house once known as the hills had just burned down henry pratt purchased the ruins of the estate and
its grounds for fourteen thousand six hundred and fifty four dollars or the modern day equivalent of
about three hundred and fifty two thousand dollars the estate grounds included large greenhouses in
several outbuildings all situated along the river shores pratt took it upon himself to design his
own home he planned it out in the federal style to include large oval rooms with panoramic views
of the river he imported fruiting plants from all around the world to plant in the gardens and
in the greenhouses including lemon trees which dominated the landscape and gave the house its
namesake around the property you could also find sugarcane coffee and tea trees growing around
grotto stocked with goldfish it was said that pratt stocked so many goldfish in his grottos
that they infested the rivers leading some to believe goldfish were native to pennsylvania
though this is only folklore from the time the main body of the house was square and plan with
verandas extending from either side a double staircase rounded towards the front door with
iron arrows taking the place of spindles the front door surround was made of arching stone blocks and
set below a palladian window the symmetrical facade even boasted mere chimneys rising from
the low pitched roof walking inside you would pass through the entrance hall complete with checkered
floors set below a simple chandelier at the end of the entrance hall was a family portrait with
archways to either side leading to the stair hall with rounded walls beyond this was an oval parlor
with multiple fireplaces set above carpeted floors with crystal chandeliers reflecting
candlelight about the room from the windows you could see out over the cascading waters and enjoy
the scent of lemon trees swaying in the gentle river breeze the dining room was smaller than
that of most grand homes from this time period with a table which could accommodate six people
cozied up to the fireplace the dining room connected to the southwest room
featuring built-in niches and a large fireplace we can imagine the entire family staying warm
here on frigid pennsylvania winter nights life in those days could be very challenging henry
outlived all three of his wives he had a total of 14 children but only two had survived until
adulthood upon henry's death he left the estate to his only surviving son james who sold it to
the city of philadelphia so it could be preserved it was the only property the city owned along the
river which authorities took full advantage of to protect the city's water supply it was later used
as a public house for the newly formed fairmount park in 1855 where city residents could enjoy
beer served by city employees later on in 1926 he was reverted back into a private residence
for fisk kimball the director of the museum of philadelphia he and his wife spent the next 30
years painstakingly restoring the home to its original state thanks to them the house can now
be enjoyed as a period accurate house museum and toured by visitors year round which part of this
house was your favorite let me know down below in the comments section and while you're there
make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode of this
house i would also like to take a moment to say a special thank you to our this house supporters
whose names you can see on screen right now if you would like to see your name on the screen
please consider joining our membership program today i'll see you next time on this house!