Cliveden in Philadelphia is a Notable Revolutionary War Attraction

Cliveden is a colonial estate that sits in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, an area that was once considered a suburb of the city. The estate was built between 1763 and 1767 by Benjamin Chew, a wealthy Philadelphian who was a loyalist, not a patriot. Chew had served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania before the war, but was imprisoned in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War because of his loyalty to the Crown of England. After the war, he became a patriot and went on to live a life of public service.

The Cliveden Estate consists of 6 acres and now sits in the middle of a very busy ethnic neighborhood. During the war, dozens of British soldiers holed up in Cliveden during the Battle of Germantown in October 1777, which was fought on this land. The U.S. army lost that particular battle and more than 1,000 soldiers on both sides were killed or injuring during the fighting of this battle. Visitors to the home can still see the scars on the house, made by musket balls that hit the exterior. Many who died on Chew's property were buried there.

Though Benjamin Chew sold the house in 1779, he repurchased it in 1797 and the home stayed in the Chew family until 1972, when the ownership of the property was transferred from the Chews to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Therefore, that same year, the historic home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Trust opened the doors of the historic estate to the public.

Today, visitors can spend an afternoon touring the attractive home. Guided tours educate guests about the history and architecture of the home, the background of the Chew family and the many family members who lived there, and about the Battle of Germantown and the role that Cliveden played in that part of the Revolutionary War. Walk-in tours of the facility are offered from April through December. Cliveden is closed to walk-ins from January through March. However, adult groups of 45 people are less can schedule a tour of the home anytime during the year with advance reservations of at least 4 weeks. Special interest tours can be organized according to the interests of the group. For example, groups may request that military history or decorative arts be the focus of their tour.

School groups are a common site at the estate, and docents offer to school children a variety of programs tailored to their age group, starting at about grade 2. The children's programs here are arranged in conjunction with the curriculum of the Philadelphia School District.

A variety of special events are held annually at Cliveden including concerts, outdoor music festivals, and more. The historic trust also offers a "Building Bridges'' day camp each summer for children who live in the neighborhood. The camp attempts to teach area youth the history of their neighborhood and includes time spent not only at Cliveden but also other historic sites in the Germantown area.