About this property
Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall is a group of historic buildings in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States. In the decades prior to the American Civil War, the property served as an important station on the Underground Railroad. Abolition Hall was built as a meeting place for abolitionists, and later became the studio of artist Thomas Hovenden. The house is located at the northeast corner of Germantown and Butler Pikes, diagonally opposite the Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse. Northeast of the house is the stone barn, and behind and attached to the barn is the former carriage house, above which was built Abolition Hall. The three buildings are part of a 10.45-acre farm, and are contributing properties in the Plymouth Meeting Historic District. In 2016, the property was threatened by a proposal to divide Butler Pike and reroute the northbound lanes between Hovenden House and its barn. Preservation Pennsylvania opposed this plan and added the property to its 2017 Pennsylvania At Risk list. In 2021, it was announced that Whitemarsh Township and the Whitemarsh Art Center would jointly buy the property for $3.95 million, and preserve it for use by the art center.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall
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Questions about this property
When was Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall listed on the National Register?
Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 17, 1971.
What type of historic resource is Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall?
Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall?
The period of significance for Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall is recorded as the civil_war era.
Can I research the history near Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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