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Community Corner

How Did the James-Lorah Memorial Home Get Its Name?

The History Guy traces the lineage of one of Doylestown's most elegant dwellings.

I've always admired the James-Lorah House, at North Main and Broad streets, but I'm not sure if it is named for the original owners. Who built the house and how did it get its name? - F.C., Buckingham

 

Actually called the James-Lorah Memorial Home, the former dwelling at 132 N. Main St. is the headquarters of the Village Improvement Association. The women's organization, founded in 1895 for the betterment of Doylestown, owns Doylestown Hospital.

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Built in 1844, the home is on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal inventory of structures with special historical significance.

The history of the property goes back to 1806, when Zerick Titus built a harness and saddler's shop about where the one-story wing to the right of the main house now stands. according to the National Register nomination from 1972. Five years later, Titus sold the property to Abraham Chapman (1767-1856), a lawyer and a descendant of John Chapman, who settled in Bucks County in 1684.

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Abraham Chapman and his wife, the daughter of Doylestown's first doctor, moved from Wrightstown to Doylestown in 1813, when the village replaced Newtown as the county seat. When Doylestown was incorporated as a borough in 1838, Chapman became the first chief burgess (mayor).

In 1834, Chapman gave the property on Main Street to his son, Henry (1804-1891). Henry had two children, Elizabeth (1829-1905) and Mary (1831-1903) by his first wife, Rebecca Stewart, who died in 1837.

Henry Chapman rebuilt and enlarged the former saddler's shop in 1841. Three years later, he hired builder David Goucher to build a 2 1/2-story house next to the shop. Chapman moved into the house with his new bride, Nancy Shunk, daughter of Francis Shunk, governor of Pennsylvania from 1845 to 1848.

While living in the house, the Chapmans had two children: Fanny (1846-1924) and Arthur (1848-1916). Henry's daughter, Mary, married William Robert Mercer (1827-1917), a naval officer. Their first child, Henry Chapman Mercer, was born in his grandfather's house on June 24, 1856.

After serving one term in the Pennsylvania Senate and one term in the U.S. Congress, Henry Chapman was elected president judge of the joint Bucks-Montgomery County courts in 1861. He served for 10 years.

The Judge Chapman House, as it was previously known, was sold for $10,000 in 1869 to Dr. Oliver P. James (1814-1894), according to a brochure printed by the Village Improvement Association. James and his wife Sarah (1824-1906) had three children: Oliver (1860-1890), Martha (1862-1918) and Sarah (1864-1954).

In 1896, Martha married Dr. George H. Lorah (1863-1945), minister of the Green Street Methodist Church in Philadelphia from 1896 to 1942. Following the death of their mother in 1906, the James sisters became owners of the house.

Dr. and Mrs. Lorah, and Sarah James, lived in the church parsonage in Philadelphia, but used the Doylestown house as a summer residence.

Miss James spent the last six years of her life at the Bucks County Inn (a block south on North Main Street, where Third Federal is today). Her house remained closed but she visited it daily. She died June 27, 1954 at age 89.

In her will, Miss James bequeathed the house and its contents--including furniture, silverware, paintings and even clothing--to the VIA, and the rest of her estate for "charitable, civic, educational and humane purposes for Doylestown and vicinity," according to an article in the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer. Her estate was valued at $125,000 (a considerable sum at the time), of which $100,000 was personal possessions and $25,000 real estate.

Miss James, who was a charter member of the VIA, stipulated that a brass plaque with the name, "James-Lorah Memorial Home, donors, Sarah M. James and George H. Lorah," be placed on the house. The will directed the VIA to maintain the home to further its charitable purposes, and that the building be open for public meetings other than religious and political.

The remainder of the estate was placed in the Doylestown National Bank and Trust Company to generate income for the upkeep of the memorial home and the Dr. O.P. James Memorial Ambulance. The James and Lorah families donated the first ambulance to Doylestown in 1915 in memory of the late Dr. Oliver P. James, and ambulance service was provided without charge to borough residents.

After acquiring the house, the VIA made alterations to create an apartment for the couple who served as caretakers. The original kitchen, including a built-in iron stove, became part of the caretakers' living quarters.

The former family dining room was modernized for use as the club's kitchen. A new heating system was installed and a powder room was created on the second floor.

In 1961, the VIA added an auditorium to the rear of the house, with its entrance on Broad Street. The 250-seat auditorium, which has a stage and a kitchen, is used for the VIA's monthly meetings and is available for community events.

The association marked its 90th anniversary in 1985 by redecorating the 17-room mansion to reflect the height of Victorian-era elegance.

"Some objects of interest in the house are a gilded pier glass, four marble fireplaces, Queen Anne and Chippendale furniture and a Benjamin Morris clock in the front hall. The case was made by Morris, a Bucks County clock maker of the period 1769 to 1820. Original Brussels carpet, a massive mahogany bedroom suite and a matched pair of red velvet settees are good examples of the Victorian period. The silver door knobs and hinges are unusual as are the ornate chandeliers in the hall, drawing room, music room and dining room," reads the VIA brochure.

Another intriguing feature is the stained glass window of St. Cecelia, patron saint of music, over the staircase landing. She is wearing an angel's garb and holds a lyre in her hand.

With the elegant symmetry of its gray-painted exterior, the James-Lorah Memorial Home is truly the grand dame of Doylestown dwellings.

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