Old Germantown Academy and Headmasters' Houses
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Old Germantown Academy and Headmasters' Houses
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| Location | Schoolhouse Lane and Greene St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates | 40°1′58″N 75°10′27″W / 40.03278°N 75.17417°WCoordinates: 40°1′58″N 75°10′27″W / 40.03278°N 75.17417°W |
| Area | 9.9 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1760 |
| Architectural style | Colonial/ Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference # | 72001168 |
| Added to NRHP | January 13, 1972 |
Old Germantown Academy and Headmasters' Houses or The Old Campus is a historic school campus, the original site of Germantown Academy, located at Schoolhouse Lane and Greene Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Academy moved to a new suburban location in 1965, and the site is currently occupied by the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.
After the founding of Germantown Academy in 1759, the land for the campus was donated by Dr. Charles Bensell, a prominent Germantown landowner and later trustee of Germantown Academy.
The first building on campus constructed was the old schoolhouse complete with its iconic Belfry. The building comprises local Wissahickon schist and is built in the colonial style. Until the move of 1965, the school would hold the title of having the oldest school still using its original building. The schoolhouse was replicated on the 1965 campus in Fort Washington.
The bell that hung in the belfry was first ordered in 1770 and brought over from England on the tea ship Polly. However, due to the tensions with the British crown in the early 1770s, the ship was unable to land and was brought to Chester, Pennsylvania until it could be transported to Germantown. Seven years later, during the Battle of Germantown, Germantown Academy was used as a hospital and camp for the occupying British army. There are recorded stories that the troops used the Belfry (and its weathervane) for target practice before and after the battle. Today, the original weathervane, complete with a British crown (no longer in use) shows bullet damage. During the same occupation, legend tells that the first game of cricket played in the United States was played on the Academy lawns.
Between its start in 1759 until 1888, the campus changed very little even as the school grew in number and in prominence. At the insistence of alumni, a gymnasium was donated for student use. The building was known as Alumni Hall and was later converted into the school chapel after the building of a new gymnasium in 1950. The building was constructed closest to the corner of Schoolhouse Lane and Greene Street and was built in the colonial revival style of architecture.
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