(Yellow: single story, Red: 2 story,
Brown: 3 or more stories)
The house was
designed by Wilson Bros. & Co.
1866, Oct. 1: Title transferred to Deacon C.
Hough [1866: clerk at 238 S 3rd, h 1862 Frankford Ave.] by Pennsylvania Rail
Road
Deacon C. Hough was clerk at 238 S
3rd, h 1862 Frankford Ave.
1870, May. 15: Title transferred to Edward H.
Williams by Deacon C. Hough
Previous Residents
1870:
Edward H.
Williams 46 Locomotive builder (manufacturer); real
estate: $ 23,000, personal: $15,000; born in Vt.
Cornelia B.
Williams 43 Born in Vt.
Annie
Williams 11 Born
in Vt.
[W.] Norman
Williams 15 Born in New Brunswick, Canada
Annie Swift 27 Domestic servant; born in Ireland
Mary Haney 20 Domestic servant; born in Ireland
Edward
H. Williams studied mathematics and engineering in Montreal. After beginning a career in engineering, he
became ill. He left engineering and
attended Vermont Medical College, graduating in 1846. He then returned to engineering. In 1860, they lived in Chicago where he was a
railroad superintendent. The 1864 and
1867 Philadelphia directories list him living at 123 S. 18th
St. He was General Superintendent of the
Pennsylvania Railroad from 1866-1870. He
became a partner with George Burnham (3401 Powelton
Ave.) in Burnham, Perry & Williams & Co., the holding company for
Baldwin Locomotive.
They probably rented 3500 Powelton Ave. for a year when they first came
to Philadelphia in 1865-‘66.
1872, Jul. 10: Death of William Williams of 101 N. 33rd St. He
died in Barnard, Vt. at 18 years of age.
He was student at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 1875.
1874, Oct.: Edward and Cornelia Williams and their two surviving
children, Edward H., Jr. and Anna, returned from a trip to Brazil. Traveling with them was Mary A. Burnham,
daughter of William’s business partner, George Burnham. The Burnham family later moved to 3401 Powelton Ave.
1871 Directory: Edward H. Williams, M. Baird & Co. [Baldwin
Locomotive]
About 1880,
Williams hired the Wilson Brothers architectural and construction company to
build a room in the Japanese style for the house. It may have been designed largely by
Frederick Thorn, a partner in Wilson Bros., who built a house for himself with
strong oriental features at 205 N. 36th St.
The “Japanese Room” at
101 N. 33rd St.
(Catalogue
of Work Executed, Wilson Brothers & Co., 1885)
1880: this house
was not enumerated in the census.
1881, June 9: Title transferred to Cornelia B.
Williams
1887: Marriage of Anna Williams to William F. Dreer of 3312 Arch St.
1888 Directory:
William F. Dreer of Henry A. Dreer
Edward H. Williams of Burnham, Perry, Williams
& Co.
About 1889, Edward and Cornelia moved
to Rosemont, Pa.
1889: Anna Williams Dreer was one of the founders of the
West Philadelphia Hospital for Women in 1889.
For a brief history of the hospital, see the Powelton
History Blog, April 5, 2013.
1889, July
16: Death of Cornelia Bailey (Pratt) Williams of 101 N. 33rd St. She was buried
at West Laurel Hill Cemetery with a service by Rev. Witold, Church of the
Savior (Episcopal).
1890
Directory: William F. Dreer
Henry A. Dreer
For some
biographic information about the Dreers, see the Powelton
History Blog.
In
1900, William and Annie Dreer were living in Radnor, Pa. They had two young wards, Amanda and Florence
Phillips, ages 8 and 7. They were born
in New Jersey and their parents were born in England. Apparently they were adopted by the Dreers. Florence
Dreer married Herman M. Hessenbruch whose family lived in Powelton for many
years. He was born at 3311 Powelton Ave.
1898 Blue
Book: E. H. Williams, M.D.
Mr. & Mrs. William F. Dreer
1899, Dec. 21: Edward H. Williams died while in
Santa Barbara, California. The
Williamses had been wintering there since at least 1882.
1900 Directory: Dreer William F.,
President, 714 Chestnut St.
The
1904 directory lists him living in Rosemont. He died Sept. 8, 1918.
1908: “Stenographer, office assistant:
references required, Apply 9 o’clock, Saturday, 191 N. Thirty-third.,” (Inquirer,
May 16)
1910:
William V. Sheppard 47 Osteopathic physician; married for
second time; born in Ohio, parents born in Germany; renting
Anna V. Sheppard 43 Married 11 years, 3 children; born in
Md., father born in Ohio, mother in Md.
Lillian L. Sheppard 19 Born in Vt.
Clara V. Sheppard 10
Lois B. Sheppard 8
Dorothy C. Sheppard 5
Anna A. Russell 48 Servant, cook; married; parents born in
Ireland
Nellie Russell 23 Servant, chamber maid; single; parents
born in Ireland
Shagemi Sasaki 24 Servant,
nurse; male; born in Japan, immigrated in 1906
Matsujers Masse 18 Servant,
nurse; male; born in Japan, immigrated in 1905
In
1900, they were living in Pittsburgh where he listed himself in the census as a
“magnetic healer.”
1916: The Bromely
Atlas shows this as the property of Cornelia B. Williams
1922: The Sanborn maps show that the
Williams mansion has been replaced by the Liquid Carbonic Co., a building that
resembles the footprint of the current building. (Vol. 14, 1306)
1927: The Bromely
Atlas shows this as the Liquid Carbonic Co. building.
They
used the address 3219 Arch St.
1929, April: Renovations announced for
what was now the Wilford Building:
Revised 7/18/2022