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Powel House
Once the home of Elizabeth and Samuel Powel, an 18th-century power couple, this mansion simply drips elegance.
As friends of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and George Washington (the Washingtons celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary at the house), the Powels entertained in style, and the house shows it.
Furnished with museum-quality clocks, portraits and other treasures, Powel House is among the nation’s best-preserved examples of Georgian architecture.
The home was one of the first to have a dining parlor, beyond which only the closest family friends could pass into the Powels’ private rooms.
How influential were the Powels?
In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention worked on the Constitution at Independence Hall by day, but in the evenings they often gathered at the Powels’ home to work out details of this new form of government.
Although no battles were fought in Philadelphia, the British took over the city and, in some cases, the homes of the city’s citizens.
British soldiers occupied the Powel House and the man who was once mayor of the city under King George was relegated to living in his servants’ quarters. Today, the Fourth Amendment protects us from such occupation.
Check out the letter Washington wrote following a particularly pleasant evening with the Powels, the china Martha Washington presented to Elizabeth and the elegant formal gardens, a quiet sanctuary in the city.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.