In late September 1777, British troops marched through Germantown on their way to Philadelphia. Learning of a possible attack from the American forces, British troops occupied Cliveden, the empty home of Benjamin Chew, and on October 4th the two sides clashed. From their stronghold of Cliveden, British troops held off the Americans until reinforcements arrived and the Americans retreated in defeat. Cliveden remained in the Chew family until 1972 when the family donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Philadelphia photographer Robert Bullock took this image of Cliveden between 1910 and 1915. Over 180 of Bullock’s glass lantern slides are digitized and can be viewed on ImPAC, the library’s digital catalog.

 

Sarah Weatherwax
Curator of Prints & Photographs