3416 Powelton Avenue

 

The History of the Building

 

3404-3418: “'Circa 1875, two-and-one-half story mansarded Victorian double houses; smooth cut ashlar' granite facades over brick construction. Full-height first floor windows except on 3412 where they are partially filled in; arched doorways with incised rownstone lintels and surrounds. Second floor windows have incised brownstone lintels and sills; double bracketed wood [cornice. Most of the mansarded roofs have their original slate shingles. Four gabled dormers with batten-and- board faces project from the mansards, except for 3412, which has only three, with scalloped red clay shingles. Pent roofs added.”

(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from the application submitted to the National Register of Historic Places, 1985)

 

Previous Residents

 

1878 Scott Atlas shows double lot owned by Helen A. Matthews

 

1880:

Charles B. Grant          28        Wholesale lumber

Helen Grant                 32

Henry Grant                7 months

Jane Story                    50        Servant; born in Ireland

            Charles Bradford Grant married Helen Marie Stevenson about 1878. In 1870, she lived with her parents, William and Nancy Stevenson at 3508 Baring St.

            Note: Charles’s brother, George M. Grant, lived next door at 3418 Powelton Ave.

 

1887 Directory: Crowell, Elisha, clerk

 

1890 Directory: Crowell Elisha, Clerk

                          James M. Crowell, Rev. & V. Pres.

 

1898 Blue Book: Mr. & Mrs. John B. Creagh

                           The Misses Creagh

 

1900:

John B. Creagh            52        Cigar manufacturer; born in Cuba, Dec. 1847; owns free of mortgage

Catherine H. Creagh    47        Married 27 years, 3 children; parents born in Ireland

Carmita Creagh            24        born Oct.1875

Elena C. Creagh           20        born June, 1879

Mercedes Creagh         15        born Oct. 1884

Marg J. Gould              37        Servant; black; born in N.C., June, 1862

 

1901, Dec. 26: Death of Maria Del Carmen (Carmita) Creagh

 

1902, Sep. 6: Death of Catherine Mansfield of 3416 Powelton Ave.

            She was the widow of Thomas Mansfield and daughter of Michael McCluskey.

 

1909, Apr. 29: Death of Catherine (Mansfield) Creagh. A solemn requiem mass was heard at St. Agatha’s Church.

 

1910:

John B. Creagh            61        Manager in paints and oils industry; born in Cuba (Spanish); owns free of mortgage

Eleona C. Creagh         27

Maria M. Creagh          43 [sic.]

Victorine R. Davis       43        Boarder; saleslady in department store; married at 21, four children

Elizabeth A. Robbins   44        Housework for private family; born in Md.

            In 1917, John Baptist Creagh registered with the U.S. Consulate in Havana, Cuba as a naturalized citizen. He had moved to Havana as a manager for the N. Z. Graves Corp. He listed his legal residence in the U.S. as 1328 Chestnut St. where his daughter, Elena, was living. He stated that his other two daughters were deceased.

 

1917: George M. Heinitsh. Grad. Of Cornell U. 1915 C. E. Maintenance of Way Department of PA. Railroad. Cornell Alumni News.)

 

1920: This census was conducted in January. This house was apparently empty at that time. However, we have the following listing of students at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine who were living here.

Third Year Class                                  Home Town

Cooper, David Alexander, B.S. Henderson, N.C.

Folsom, Theodore Winslow                Florence, Ala.

Hunter, Harry Grimmett, A.B.             Hendersonville, N.C.

 

Fourth Years Class

Johnson, George, B.S. (N.C.)              Wallace, N.C.

Lyday, Russell Osborne                       Brevard, N.C.

            In 1930, Lyday was living in Greensboro, Guilford, N. C. He was single, a Surgeon and 36 years old.

(Catalogue of the University of Pennsylvania. 1920.)

 

1930:

Elizabeth D. Hiltner    64        Rents, $100/mon.; father born in Ireland

Madeline F. Hiltner      35        Daughter-in-law; parents born in England; married at age 31

Robert L. Hiltner         35        Son; pressman in publishing; married at age 31

Victor Sanderson         68        Lodger; steel worker; born in Sweden; immigrated in 1878

Frank H. Lytle             76        Lodger; no occupation

Harry C. Lytle              71        Lodger; salesman for a printing house

            In 1910, the Hiltner family lived at 605 N. 32nd St. Elizabeth (Bessie) McCoy was married to Calvin Saylor Hiltner (age 52), a hotel proprietor. Victor Sanderson was listed as a lodger with them. Robert Lancelot Hiltner was baptized at Old St. Paul’s Church (Catholic) in Philadelphia. He later used Lee as his middle name. Calvin died Oct. 19, 1917 when they were living at 3729 Brown St. In 1920, Elizabeth and Robert were living at 304 N. 35th St. In 1930, Robert and Madeline lived at 3416 Hamilton St. Madeline F. (Healis) Hiltner was apparently divorced from George P. Moore. Elizabeth Hiltner died at their house in 1937. They had three children. In 1940, Elizabeth’s daughter, Elizabeth Effen, was living with his husband and five children at 3602 Powelton Ave.

 

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Revised 7/1/2022

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