The Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is the only authentically restored Victorian house museum and garden in Philadelphia. Visitors step back in time to discover a living record of the comforts and tastes of the rising middle class in an era when central heat, indoor plumbing, and running water were wondrous luxuries. . . when gas lighting, grained woodwork and stenciled ceiling decorations were emblems of social standing.

 In 1859, Ebenezer Maxwell, a cloth merchant, built his villa a few blocks away from the railroad station and rode the train each day to his office in Philadelphia.  The cost of the land and the house: $10,000!  The architecture is an exuberant blend of styles popular in the Victorian period.  The influences came from Europe: English (romantic Gothic Revival), Italian (tall bell tower), Flemish (the curved cornices at either side of the tower) and French (the steep slate mansard roof).  Wooden window and porch details add grace to the solidity of the building, constructed from local schist.