The Germantown White House

President George Washington lived twice in the Deshler-Morris House in Germantown. He first came here in 1793 seeking refuge from the yellow fever epidemic, as the rural village's “pure and healthy air,” six miles from Philadelphia, was considered safe from the disease. More than 4,000 Philadelphians died as yellow fever ravaged the national capital, and thousands of residents fled the city for the comparatively disease-free countryside. Washington returned the following summer with his family, who had by then joined him in Philadelphia, making this house the first of many summer presidential retreats. Here the elder Washingtons relaxed with their grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis, and enjoyed family life while enslaved persons and servants, both hired and indentured, served the household.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States