Built in 1767, the Presidential Mansion was a three-and-a-half-story brick house on the south side of Market Street. President George Washington used this home as the second Executive Mansion during his presidency, as did President John Adams.
President Washington and his wife lived in the Presidential Mansion from 1790 to 1797 along with nine enslaved people. These individuals, whose names were Moll, Christopher Sheets, Hercules, Richmond, Ona Judge, Austin, Giles, Paris, and Joe, were among the more than three hundred who were enslaved on the Washington’s farm in Virginia.
While in Philadelphia, Ona Judge self-emancipated from the mansion, aided by the free black community in Philadelphia. George and Martha Washington refused to grant Judge her freedom and pursued her throughout her lifetime.
The foundations of the Presidential Mansion were uncovered in 2000, and a memorial to mark its site and history opened in 2010. Included in the commemoration are the people enslaved by the Washingtons and the African American community (both free and enslaved) of Philadelphia.
