The History of the Building
“Italianate roughcasted brick, three-story house with stone foundation
and flat overhanging roof with modillioned wood
cornice. Frill-height first-floor windows, altered circa 1940. Fluted posts of
wood porch and swans neck lintels on second--floor windows, Circa 1905 Colonial
Revival alterations.”
(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from the application submitted to the
national register of Historic Places, 1985)
1873: Coleman Sellers’s grandson, Harold S. Colton, described the
house as having four long French windows across the front of the living room and parlor that opened onto the front
porch. On the west Side lay a large garden.
In 1873, Sellers
“extended the west side adding a second room for his extensive
library and enlarged the dining room making it quite long. The walls he hung
with many portraits of the family by his grandfather Charles Wilson Peale. On the second floor
the master bedroom over the dining room was lengthened and over the new library
a sunny glass-enclosed conservatory was built, where his wife Cora could keep
her flowers in the wintertime. Besides the improvements to the west wing he
built between the kitchen and dining room a pantry over which were private
baths on each floor. On the third floor over
the kitchen wing he built an office for himself and a laboratory or shop
reached by new back stairs. After the
improvements were complete Jessie [Sellers, his daughter] was given the large
bedroom on the third floor not only with a private hath hilt also with a fireplace.” Sellers “had a brick stable back of the
garden behind a grape arbor and kept a couple of horses.” (North of Market Street, Harold S. Coulton,
1962)
Bromley Atlases of Philadelphia in 1895 and 1918 show 3302
Hamilton as a “stable.” It is on property belonging to the house at
Previous Residents
of 3301 Baring Street
1858 Directory: McIlvain, John H.,
33d & Baring (
The 1887 Directory listed him at
“Bridge ab 5th” (
1861 Directory:
McIlvain John lumber mer., NW corner Baring &
33d
1866-’67 IRS records: Coleman Sellers, N.W.
corner, 33rd and Baring
IRS records for month of Oct, 1864
list Coleman Sellers:
Coleman Sellers grew up in
Coleman Sellers
1870:
Coleman Sellers 43 Manufacturer
of machines; real estate: $100,000; property: $300,000.
Cornelia (Cora)
Sellers 38 Born in
Ohio (1880 census)
Coleman Sellers, Jr. 18 Clerk
in a machine shop
Horace Wells
(Homer) Sellers 14
Jessie Sellers 16
Alicia Morris 28
I Samuel Watson 24 Waiter;
“mulatto;” born in N.J.
Moses Gregory 32 Coachman;
born in
Susan Johnson 36 Domestic
servant; born in N.J.
(1st
Enum.:
p 32; 2nd Enum: p 1)
1870, Jan. 16: Death of Ethel Powell, 6 months
years old, daughter of Charles and Hannah Powell of 3301 Baring St. She was born in N.J. Burial at New Jerusalem,
Upper Darby.
1880:
Coleman
Sellers 52 Draftsman
Cornelia
Sellers 48 Born in
Coleman
Sellers, Jr. 27 Architect
Horace W.
Sellers 22 Machinist
Sabin W. Colton
33 Son-in-law; banker
Jessie S.
Colton 25 Daughter
Francis Simpson
12 [Relation not stated]; at school; born in
Clara Corad 26 Servant; parents born in
Jennie Doyle 20 Servant; born in N.Y., parents born in
Mary Looney 40 Cook;
born in
Henry Simpson 19 [Relation
not stated]; Cadet
(ED 483, 26)
Coleman Sellers was an engineer and
inventor. Perhaps his most interesting
invention was the “kinematoscope,” the first
operative moving-picture machine (1861) that gave us the word cinema. He was also the chief engineer for the first hydroelectric
dam at
Jessie and Sabin Colton were very
recently married. A few months later,
they moved to 410 N. 33rd,
half of a twin built by Coleman Sellers for his children on a part of his
lot. Coleman Sellers, Jr. married within a few months and he and his bride moved to
the other half, 412 N. 33rd
St. His passport application from 1878 gives his date of birth as
September, 1852 in
1896: Mr. and Mrs. Coleman Sellers, 3301
Baring St.
(AWOSTING
FALLS-LAKE MINNEWASKA... “Is located on the summit of the
.. References: That this object has been
attained, the proprietor would respectfully refer to "the persons whose
names are attached to this circular — nearly all of whom have
remained at the
(http://www.archive.org/stream/cliffhouseonlake00newy/cliffhouseonlake00newy_djvu.txt)
1900:
Coleman
Sellers 73 Engineer; owned free of a mortgage
Cornelia
Sellers 68 married 49 years, 4 children, 3
surviving; born in
Horace W.
Sellers 35 Son; married
Cora Sellers 31 Daughter-in-law, married 1 year, no children; born in
Gertrude Palmer 24 Boarder;
parents born in
Eliza Waters 55 Servant; single; born in
Matilda Clark 21 Servant; single; born in
(ED 539, 8A)
1910:
Coleman Sellers, Jr. 57 Mechanical
engineer; born in Ohio; renting
Helen Emma
Sellers 57 Married 21 years; born in N.J.
Coleman
Sellers, 3rd 17
Cora Sellers
Burnham 24 Daughter; married once, no children
Enoch
L. Burnham 27 Civil engineer
Alice Beach
Jackson 61 Sister-in-law; single; born in Md., parents in N.J.
Theresa McGlinchey 22 Servant; born in
Katherine
Parkinson 21 Servant; born in
Helen Baker 24 Boarder; stenographer; single; born in
(ED 488, 5B-6A,
3B)
Enoch Lewis Burnham grew up at 214 N. 34th
St. He was the son was the son of
George Burnham Jr. and the grandson of George Burnham, Sr. (3401
Powelton Ave.) and Enoch Lewis (3405
Powelton Ave.).
1911, Jan. 1: Death of Alice Beach Jackson, of 3301 Baring St. She
was the daughter of J. H. Jackson and Mary Beach. Buried at Rockway Via Dover, N. J.
1916, Oct. 17: Marriage of Kathlyne
Montgomery Shattuck, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. Shattuck of 223 W. Tulpehocken St., to Coleman Sellers, 3d. at
the Second Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut St. The maid of honor was Mildred Shattuck. The
best man was the groom’s cousin, Ralph Colton (3409
Powelton Ave.). There were two flower
girls: Margaret and Elizabeth Sellers.
1920:
Coleman
Sellers, Jr. 67 Mechanical engineer, machine tools; born
in
Helen G.
Sellers 67 Born in N.Y., parent in N.J.
Gertrude F. Palmer 43 Cousin
Kathryn Brennan
29 Cook;
born in
Alice Brennan 25 Waitress;
born in
(ED 682, 10A)
1930:
Paul Rothe 40 Janitor in apartment house; born in
Frieda Rothe 41 born in
Elsie Rothe 17 born in
Edward
Scully 80 Widowed; born in N.Y.; rent: $50
Marie Scully 38
John
Andrew 30 Leather goods salesman;; born in N.Y.;
rent: $60
Edna
M. Andrew 24 Born in N.Y.
William Andrew 4 yrs., 6 months
Harry X.
Walsh 41 Professional musician; born in
Kate A.
Walsh 41 Secretary in physician’s office; born in
MD.
Edna D. Yarnall
31 Secretary in an insurance office; married 21 years ; rent: $42
Charles R.
Winslow 30 Government printer; rent: $50
Florence T.
Winslow 27
Emily Day 30 Secretary in a law office; rent: $45
(ED 396, 6B)
1950 Directory: Aymar K. Allison
Barbara Brantly
Edwin E. Ridgeway (born June 1926; in 1974 he lived
at 10166 Ferndale, Phila.)
A. Trasoff
Samuel A.
Wasson,
Jr.
<3305
Baring 3300
Baring, south side of street>
Back
to Interactive Property Map
Revised 1/22/2012 About Powelton Village