The Elbert County tribune., 1907-06-27
ABODE OF TRAITOR
BENEDICT ARNoLp's MANSION IN
PHILADELPHIA:
House is One Of the Few Specimens
of Colonial Architecture Left in
the country-Now belongs
TO the City.


Mount Pleasant, in the East Park.
near Columbia avenue entrance, which
is almost equally well known to park
visitors as Arnold's mansion, is to be
the headquarters of La Moriganta
Klambo, the newly formed organiza-
ton of fashionable women motorists.
says the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Few buildings in the park equal
ldount Pleasant in interest. and none
is older. 1t is one of the few well pre-
served country mansions built in this
country in Colonial times. AS speci-
men of architecture modelled upon the
style made popular by Sir christopher
Wren, it is one of the half dozen
or less which remain in this country.
The house, which John Adams
who dined there in 1774-declared was
the most elegant in Pennsylvania, was
built for Capt. John Mcpherson in
1862. In 1873 MACPHERSON grew tired
of the place and sold it to Gen. Bone
dict Arnold. who had married Peggy
Shippen. In its time the mansion has
borne three names. Macpherson
called it The Hills and also Clunie.
and subsequently it was known as
Mount Pleasant.
Capt Macpherson was one of the
most original men in the province. II
he had not been immensely wealthy
he probably would not have been toll
Grated; but as privateersman in
England's wars with France and
Spain before the revolution he was
1,,p xt,it n N
gold galleon. He had two sons. One
was an officer in the British army,
but resigned his commission on the
breaking out of the revolution and be-
came a major in the Continental army,
The other son was with the colonists
from the beginning of the struggle
and was killed at the attempt to take
Quebec, being the first Philadelphia
of Importance to give up his life for
the cause.
Old Capt. Macpherson made himself
tiresome to congress, begging for COM
mand of ship, but did not gain his
desire. He published the first direc-
tory of Philadelphia in 1885. This book
is really one of the curiosities of liter
ature. for the captain canvassed the
city himself and printed the replies
he received at each door in answer
to his request for names. He died in
1892 and lies in st. Paul's churchyard.
When Arnold married Peggy Ship
pen, daughter of Edward Shippen, sub
sequently chief justice of Pennsylva-
mia, he bought Mount Pleasant and
settled 1t on himself for life. with
the remainder of his wife and chill
dren At the time Arnold was mill
tary governor of Philadelphia, and
Judge Peters, who occupied Belmont.
the seat across the Schuylkill from
Mount Pleasant, accused the general
of having converted $4,000 to his own
use and of having used this toward
the purchase of Mount Pleasant.
Arnold did not long remain at
Mount Pleasant. After his treason he
of course had to leave the country.
and the state of Pennsylvania confis-
Gated his life interest in the beautiful
estate Baron de Steuben became the
next tenant of the place and Arnold's
life interest was sold to Colonel Rich
ard Hampton for $3.50.
In the Shippen correspondence, pub
lished a few years ago, there are sew
eral references to Mount Pleasant. In
1885 in letter from Mfs. Arnold to
her father it appears that Arnold had
an idea of privately getting title to the
property for his family. He changed
his mind, however, and suggested that
the place be sold at public sale for as
much as it would bring. In 1885
Mount Pleasant was sold, but for
barely enough to satisfy the mort
cages upon it,
Gen. Jonathan Williams, revolu-
tionary patriot and commercial agent
of the United States in France from
1777 to 1855, bought the country seat
and lived there for years. The
property remained in his family for
many years and was purchased by
the park commission by virtue of the
act of 1867, which permitted the ac-
QUESTION of what are now park prop
critics.