18 East Park Road
6 Bedrooms & 4 Bathrooms
Built around 1906
Similar to 4 & 6 East Park Road, 18 Park Road is another beautiful, old, and large double-home, being on the right side of its lot. Zillow claims it was built in 1906, and I would verify with the 1910 census, but the census contains no house numbers so it is near impossible to find a census record from 1910 unless the previous family lived there at the time of the census (which they didn't).
Inhabitants
| Names | Years |
|---|---|
| Mrs. (William C.?) Pritchet | fl. 1902?–1913 |
| Elwood Tyson Matlack & Jessie Alice Fox Matlack | c. 1920–1943 |
| James M. Barnhill | c. 1948 |
| Rosaria Martella | ?–1972 |
History
The house is at least as old as 1912, as there was an advert posted in the newspaper in 1912 searching for a white girl to do housework. The 1913 atlas listed "Mrs. Pritchet" as the resident.
1920 census: Broker Elwood is living with his family & widowed Newfoundlander maid.
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Elwood T. Matlack | 54 | Head |
| Jessie A. Matlack | 38 | Wife |
| Ruth T. Matlack | 16 | Daughter |
| Elizabeth W. Matlack | 10 | Daughter |
| Elwood T. Matlack | 8 | Son |
| Jane Matlack | 1 | Daughter |
| Louise Harrington | 25 | Servant |
1930 census: Matlack family
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Elwood T. Matlack | 64 | Head |
| Jessie A. Matlack | 41 | Wife |
| Ruth T. Matlack | 26 | Daughter |
| Elwood T. Matlack | 18 | Son |
| Jane Matlack | 11 | Daughter |
| Suzanne Matlack | 8 | Daughter |
| Anna M. Matlack | 6 | Daughter |
In 1939, Elwood Matlack, Sr., died. He was a descendant of American Founder Timothy Matlack, who famously inscribed the original Declaration of Indepenednce for its vellum copy in 1776.
Philadelphia Inquirer, October 28th, 1939, page 31
1940 census: Widowed Jessie leading Matlacks and divorced daughter.
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Jessie A. Matlack | 52 | Head |
| Ruth T. Matlack | 35 | Daughter |
| Jane G. Matlack | 21 | Daughter |
| Suzanne Matlack | 19 | Daughter |
| Anna Mary Matlack | 16 | Daughter |
| Elizabeth M. Baker | 30 | Daughter |
Elizabeth, known as "Betty" lived in the home as late as 1941, Suzanne as late as 1942, and Jane as late as 1943. Past then, the Matlacks most likely moved at that point.
By 1948, the home was inhabited by James M. Barnhill, and apartments were for rent in 1952. In 1972, it was sold by Rosaria Martella to "Ava Alectronic and Machine Co. Inc" for $15,500. It was sold again in 1996 for $133,500.