The History of Cresheim Cottage
As you drive up the “Great Road,” as Germantown
Avenue was once known, you will find Cresheim Cottage. Her domain
was once a 100 acre tract of land which her builders, Palatine German
settlers from the Rhine Valley, secured from William Penn in 1683. Needless to say, Cresheim Cottage has housed many
tenants of varying means and trades and has seen much history pass
by her door.The Cottage witnessed the first shots of the Battle
of Germantown on October 4, 1777, when the American Colonial Troops
fired on British Pickets. At the site of what is now
the Lutheran
Theological Seminary, these same Colonial Troops made a hasty retreat
along the “Great Road.” Years later, the first stagecoach line thundered by
on its way to Springfield. Yeomen, lawyers, butchers, weavers, stocking
knitters, hatters, furriers, powder makers, printers, victullars
(makers of wines and beverages), a sheriff, a judge and nurserymen
have all made Cresheim Cottage their home. Though old by our standards, Cresheim Cottage is strong
and well-preserved. Each room reflects the Cottage’s long
and noble history, and the atmosphere takes us back to a day when
life was simpler and less complex. We hope you enjoy your visit
with us and that your memories of the Cottage stay with you.
The Ghost of Cresheim Cottage
The Cottage was the first house built along Germantown Avenue in 1748, and over the years many stories have been told about a young female ghost in pink Victorian clothing. With affection, the staff of the Cottage calles her Emily. An attic door mysteriously opens and shuts and unexplained thumps in the halls spooked contractors when they were renovating the building several years ago. Often, when something is lost, staff will yell up to the attic, "Where is the ___, Emily?" And, occassionally, she gives it back.