8765 Stenton Avenue

 

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(photograph from Chestnut Hill Historical Society-John Naylor Collection: 1970.69)

 

MAP NUMBER: 71
DATE: c. 1870s
ORIGINAL OWNER: William Platt
ARCHITECT: Unknown
CONTRACTOR: Unknown

"Rauhala" is a Swedish name and means peaceful home.   As described
in the book by Hotchkin,  "We next reach the place of Mr. Kelsey, on the
same side.  The house was built by William Platt, who resided in it after
he had lived in the last-named house. Then John Welsh, Jr. owned it for
a number of years.  Later, it was purchased by Mr. Kelsey.  Birch Lane
runs along the side of the property.  This is a sweet rustic lane, which in
its wildness appears to be far away from the rush of city life, with its
'madding crowd.'   There is a beautiful spring on this property near the
lane.  There are two basins to contain the water, and a country path and
a miniature waterfall are striking points in the landscape, while overhanging
trees add beauty to the scene.  A stream runs along the base of the hill. 
The Albert Kelsey mansion has a bay window on the upper side, and a
stone porch adorns the front. The cattle feeding on the hillside, in the early
morning, where the pasture extends along the Birch Lane, presents a scene
which would delight a painter like Rosa Bonheur.  Beyond Birch Lane lies
the Bucknell property and residence, and the Consumptive's Home."
Today, Keystone Hospice occupies the site. 

See Hotchkin, "Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill,"  p. 439 and
pps. 499 - 501.

See Keels and Jarvis, "Chestnut Hill," p. 57.