Mount Pleasant

Scottish-born ship captain and privateer John Macpherson (1726-1792) built this elegant mansion in 1762. It is considered the finest example of Georgian architecture in the former Middle Colonies (present-day Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey) and for this reason was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974. It is located in its original location in Fairmount Park, which was a part Macpherson's estate. Mount Pleasant is further significant for its association with Continental Army General Benedict Arnold, who bought it in 1779 as a wedding present to his wife, Peggy Shippen. It is managed by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is closed to the public as of early 2023.

John Macpherson was born in Edingburgh, Scotland in 1726. He became interested in sea at a young age and sailed to America when he was around 20 years old. In 1750 he became a captain around of a merchant ship that conducted trade between Philadelphia and Barbados. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763) starting in 1757, Macpherson commanded the British gunship Britannia and was authorized to be attack and seize French ships in the Caribbean. In one encounter in 1758, a canon ball blew off his right arm but he survived. The French won the battle and set the Britannia adrift; however, the surviving members of the crew managed to sail it to Jamaica where it was repaired. Macpherson continued to fight and capture French ships and by 1760 had become very rich. His exploits came at a high cost, however, as he was injured several other times including being shot through the leg.

He resigned in 1762 and built Mount Pleasant. It was meant to be showpiece and a place to entertain guests, which Macpherson did on several occasions. The estate was a 100-acres in size and a working plantation that was tended to by four enslaved workers and other laborers. It produced hay, fruits, vegetables and livestock. Machpherson struggled financially, however, and was compelled to lease the mansion to the Spanish ambassador at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. When Arnold bought it in 1779 he was in command of Philadelphia, which the British had recently evacuated. He and Peggy only lived in the mansion until he infamously defected to the British in 1780. Macpherson resumed trading in the West Indies after the war and published the country's first trade paper. A well-educated man, he also lectured on various topics including natural philosophy and astronomy.

Prussian military officer, General Baron von Steuben, who joined the Continental Army at the start of the war, leased the mansion for a brief period after Arnold left. Several owners occupied the mansion over the next several decades including the Williams family, who owned it for the longest period until the mid-1800s. The city bought the property in 1868. It is unclear when the Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired it.

Heintzelman, Patricia. "Mount Pleasant." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. October 15, 1966. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000685_text.

"Historic House Mount Pleasant." Philadelphia Museum of Art. Accessed January 2, 2022. https://philamuseum.org/visit/locations-hours#historic-houses.

Meredith, Mark. "John Macpherson (1726-1792)." House Histree. March 3, 2021. https://househistree.com/people/john-macpherson.