Thomas Massey House facts for kids
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1696 Thomas Massey House
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Thomas Massey House, September 2018
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | Lawrence and Springhouse Rds., Broomall, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1696 |
| Architect | Thomas Massey |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000904 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 16, 1970 |
The 1696 Thomas Massey House is a very old home in Pennsylvania. It was built in 1696 by an English settler named Thomas Massey. This house is one of the oldest English Quaker homes in the state. It is a two-story house made of brick and stone. You can find it on Lawrence Road in Broomall, Pennsylvania.
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Who Was Thomas Massey?
Thomas Massey was born in a village called Marpoole in England. He was a Quaker, which is a type of Christian group. When he was young, he became an indentured servant. This meant he agreed to work for someone for a set time to pay for his trip to America.
Thomas sailed from Chester, England, on a ship called the "Endeavor." He arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 29, 1683. He was only 20 years old then. After he finished his work as an indentured servant, he received 50 acres of land. He got another 50 acres from William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania.
In 1692, when Thomas was 29, he married Phebe Taylor. She was 22 and he had met her on the ship to America. They had seven children together:
- Esther (born 1693)
- Mordecai (born 1695)
- James (born 1697)
- Hannah (born 1699)
- Thomas (born 1701)
- Phoebe (born 1705)
- Mary (born 1707)
Thomas Massey passed away in 1707 or 1708. His oldest son, Mordecai, inherited the house. The house stayed in the Massey family until 1925.
History of the House
Thomas Massey built the first brick part of the house in 1696. It was an addition to an older wooden house. Later, Thomas's son Mordecai probably took down the wooden house. He then built the first stone addition around the 1730s. A stone kitchen was added in the early 1800s. A second story was built above the kitchen around 1860.
The Massey family owned the house until 1925. It was used as a farmhouse until the 1930s. At that time, a furnace and electricity were added. As more houses were built around it, the Massey House was used for storage and painting.
In 1964, a person named Lawrence M.C. Smith saved the house. He was a descendant of Thomas Massey. Smith bought the house and about one acre of land. He gave the property to Marple Township. He asked that the house be fixed up within ten years.
An architect named John Milner completed the restoration. During this work, they found a walk-in fireplace and a beehive oven. Many of the house's original features have been repaired. They are now fully working again.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. This is a list of important historical places in the United States. A special Pennsylvania historical marker was placed at the site on May 9, 1986.
Visiting the Thomas Massey House
The Thomas Massey House is open for visitors! You can take a tour from April through October. It is open on Sundays from 1 PM to 4 PM. The house is decorated to look like it did in the 1600s and 1700s. It has old furniture, cooking tools, and books. Some of these items are even original to the house.
They also hold special events throughout the year. These include:
- Talks about history
- Demonstrations
- Cooking classes
- Gardening presentations
- Social gatherings
Sometimes, they even prepare an authentic colonial meal in the kitchen. Then, they serve it in the house, just like people would have eaten hundreds of years ago!
Images for kids
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In 2018
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In 2009
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See also
- List of the oldest buildings in Pennsylvania
