The Germantown White House
Deshler-Morris House
President George Washington lived here in the Deshler-Morris House twice. He came here first seeking refuge from the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. The “pure and healthy air” of the rural village of Germantown, six miles from Philadelphia, was safe from the disease. More than 4,000 Philadelphians died as the disease ravaged the national capital. Thousands of residents left the city for the comparatively disease-free countryside. The following summer Washington returned with his family, who had now joined him in Philadelphia. This house thus became the first of many summer presidential retreats. Here the elder Washingtons relaxed with their grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis, and enjoyed the pleasures of family life. The household was served by enslaved persons and servants, both hired and indentured.
Marker is on Germantown Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
