NEWS AND EVENTS

Historic Belmont Mansion To Be Restored As House Museum

Current renovations at Belmont Mansion will transform the Mansion into a state-of-the-art museum highlighting the story of the Peters family, original owners and anti-slavery abolitionists. Restoration of Belmont Mansion begins November 28, 2005 and is scheduled for completion in early 2007. Events will continue to be hosted at the Mansion during renovations.

When renovations are finished the house museum will have exhibits about early colonization, dramatic changes in Fairmount Park and the importance of the Mansion as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Recently, Belmont Mansion was officially recognized as a Freedom Station in the Underground Railroad by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Freedom Center has recognized only 32 Freedom Stations, and Belmont Mansion is the first to earn this honor in Pennsylvania.

"There is so much to this whole story to be told, and we've got an exhibit team who will be documenting and telling the story of what took place during this time of slavery at Belmont Mansion," said Audrey Johnson-Thornton, founder of the American Women's Heritage Society (AWHS), the organization that maintains the Mansion.

Historians and AWHS have research that shows Belmont Mansion housed fugitive slaves in the third floor attic. A Temple University doctoral student discovered that Judge Peters, a direct descendant of the original owner of the Belmont estate, purchased and then freed in 1811 a slave named Cornelia Wells and her daughter. Peters was president of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Descendants of Peters are Board members of AWHS today.

Belmont Mansion also has an intriguing connection to the colonization and founding of the United States. Richard Peters, son of the founder of the Belmont estate, served as Secretary of the Board of War for the Revolutionary Army, Delegate to Congress under the Articles of Confederation and other important positions. Over the years he was visited by many of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The Mansion as a house museum will reflect this important history.

Despite the restoration process, though, Belmont Mansion will continue to host events. The events are held in a different section of the Mansion separate from the renovations. AWHS often hosts events, especially at holidays and on special occasions. But any member of the public may stage an event at Belmont Mansion, which is open for events such as weddings, meetings and seminars. Anyone interested in hosting an event at Historic Belmont Mansion should call the American Women's Heritage Society at 215-878-8844.