The Thomas Speakman House was built c. 1795 in the area of Ward Village, and is a wonderful example of example of Southeastern Pennsylvania farmhouse architecture.
Thomas Speakman purchased 43 acres from his uncle Micajah Speakman in the late 1700s. The original deed to the property was buried underground by Micajah in 1777 in an attempt for document safety due to the British invasion of Pennsylvania, and thus, many pieces of information on the deed are illegible.
Thomas Speakman married Abigail Newlin, and had 6 children. By 1795, Thomas Speakman built a log and stone house on the northeast corner of his 43-acres property. According to the 1798 Federal Tax record, the house measured 30 x 20 feet, was 1.5 stories, and had 3 single pane windows and 1 six-over-six window.
In 1806, Thomas Marshall IV purchased the Speakman home, and began extensive updates. The first floor of the home consisted of a kitchen and eating area, parlor, and family room. The kitchen boasted a stove and “queensware,” or porcelain chinaware issued in honor of Queen Charlotte. The second story was divided into 4 bedrooms, set with various furniture including beds, bureaus, carpets, chairs, a spyglass, curtains, and trunks. The attic was dedicated to a field bed, a boy bed, a clothes chest, and a spinning wheel. The basement was home to barrels, candles, tubs, potatoes, a vinegar cask, salt meat, and hams.
Thomas IV farmed the land and cultivated an apple orchard and other fruit trees, as well as kept a heard of cows. He died suddenly in 1828, and left no will. The house was then sold to Dr. Rolph Marsh in 1829. Dr. Rolph, a local physician, combined this parcel to his adjacent parcel to own a combined 63 acre property. The farm was valued at $6,500 in 1850.
The Speakman House fell into various ownership throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, including John and R.W. Hill (John Hill owned and operated the Newlin Grist Mill beginning in 1860), the Ward Mushroom Company, and Frank and Eva Osmund. The house was converted to a commercial space in 2013.
Today, this property is a commercial space owned and operated by Zizza Highway Services.
Concord Township Historic Resource #109
