Wyck House and Rose Garden

The Wyck House in Germantown is one of the oldest houses in Philadelphia, with the first structure on this site dating to sixteen ninety. What makes it extraordinary is its continuity: nine generations of the same Quaker family lived here across two and a half centuries, each leaving their mark. Family members were leaders in science, education, horticulture, glassmaking, and brewing.

The house you see today reflects an eighteen twenty-four renovation by architect William Strickland. Its rose garden is even older in spirit: laid out in the early eighteen twenties by Jane Bowne Haines, it once supported many rare cultivars, some of which survive today. It is said to be among the oldest rose gardens in the country still growing roses.