Cliveden (Benjamin Chew House)
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Cliveden
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| Location | 6401 Germantown Avenue Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
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| Coordinates | 40°2′46″N 75°10′56″W / 40.04611°N 75.18222°WCoordinates: 40°2′46″N 75°10′56″W / 40.04611°N 75.18222°W |
| Area | 5.4 acres (2.2 ha) |
| Built | 1763–1767 |
| Architect | William Peters |
| Architectural style | Georgian colonial |
| Part of | Colonial Germantown Historic District (#66000678) |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000677 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 20, 1961 |
| Designated NHLDCP | June 23, 1965 |
Cliveden (/ˈklɪvdən/ KLIV-dən), also known as the Benjamin Chew House, is a historic mansion at 6401 Germantown Avenue in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Battle of Germantown, fought in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War.
Built between 1763 to 1767, by Benjamin Chew, the mansion was inhabited from colonial times by seven generations of the Chew family, until 1972. Chew was head of the Pennsylvania Judiciary System under both Colony and Commonwealth, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of Pennsylvania. From his legal mentor, Andrew Hamilton, he inherited Hamilton's lifelong clients, the descendants of William Penn.
For Chew's safety, the Executive Committee of the Continental Congress forcibly removed him and his family from Cliveden, as his close friend, George Washington, was ordering his troops to move towards Philadelphia. British Colonel Musgrave then quickly occupied the sturdily built mansion and fought off the attack from within with muskets and bayonets. Washington's army was repelled and driven back down Germantown Avenue in defeat.
In 1961, Cliveden was designated a National Historic Landmark, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It is part of the Colonial Germantown Historic District. The National Trust for Historic Preservation operates Cliveden as a historic house museum and offers tours from April through December. Significance:
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