Market street, Philadelphia; the most historic ... - Hay genealogy

104 Market Street, Philadelphia
during this time that Arnold purchased Captain John MacPherson's
place, Mount Pleasant, now in Fairmount Park.
Arnold made a brave show while he was in command of the city.
He had a coach and horses and coachmen in livery. He also was fond
of military display and had sentinels placed before his Market street
house although, as a writer in the Packet pointed out, this was unnecessary,
for the i^ublic enemy was not in the neighborhood and he had
nothing to fear from Philadelphians, even if he did deserve rough treatment
from them. In 1779 charges against Arnold's conduct here and
at Valley Forge were laid before Congress; but despite his delicate
position arrangements for his wedding with Peggy Shippen continued,
and in April, just after he had purchased Mount Pleasant, the marriage
was celebrated in the old Shippen mansion on South Fourth street,
and for a part of the next fourteen months Arnold and his bride remained
in this neighborhood, spending about half of the period in his
Market street mansion. Arnold left the city forever about the middle
of July, 1780, and then the mansion on Market street was occupied by
the Sieur John Holker, consul general of France. Holker was an Englisliman
whose father had been exiled from England for the part he
had taken in the effort to restore the pretender, Charles Edward, to
the British throne. The younger Holker was educated in France, and
through the influence of Franklin became an agent to furnish the
Americans with supplies. He came to this covmtry in 1776, and when
the French Ambassador, Gerard, arrived here in 1778 he brought a
commission to Holker as consul general of France.
While it was in the possession of Holker the mansion was almost
entirely destroyed by fire in January, 1780. There are references to
this fire in the Diaries of Jacob Hilsheimer, who related that the house
was all destroyed but the first floor, and of Elizabeth Drinker, who
makes a note of the same character. Mrs. Drinker added in her diary
that the fire raged through a violent snowstorm, which continued
through the day and night of the 2d of January, 1780.
Robert Mori'is, the financier of the Revolution, leased the ruins and
the property after the fire, and at once began to rebuild the house,
whose solid walls remained. He also made some improvements in the
property and after living there for several years he purchased the
estate in 1785 for £3750. In 1791 Morris had his counting house almost
next to his property at what is now No. 510. This building still stands,
although another story has been added to it and it has been materially
modified in character.
Wlien it was decided that the capital of the country should be removed
from New York to Philadelphia, the City Council began to look
around them for a suitable residence for the President, and later the
State of Pennsylvania started upon an important building at Ninth