By Michele MacDonald
Patriots of the American Revolution dedicated their lives to the pursuit of liberty and the transformation of 13 colonies into a republic. Some of their 18th-century homes have been preserved as part of our national inheritance. A portion of these residences had architectural significance from the time they were completed; other homes and their collections have been saved because of the people who dwelled there. Test your knowledge of these treasured structures and the Revolutionary War heroes associated with them.
- The political ideas that this pamphleteer communicated initiated the Colonists' movement toward freedom. Among objects displayed at his New Rochelle, N.Y., cottage is one of the few remaining Franklin stoves, a gift from Ben himself.
- This silversmith, who warned Massachusetts citizens of the British advance, owned the house at 19 North Square; it's now Boston's oldest structure.
- Construction of this Virginia mansion's largest room, the formal dining room, timed with the beginning of the Revolution.
- From 1770 to 1799, this Pennsylvania estate, with perhaps the country's first greenhouses, was home to Robert Morris, whose wartime responsibilities included funding the Continental Army.
- Nathanael Greene, whose Army command would force the British from the Carolinas, built Spell Hall for himself and his bride. Where is this "Mount Vernon of the North" located?
- This South Carolina estate, with America's oldest landscaped gardens, was home to two generations connected with the Revolution: Henry, who was president of the First Continental Congress, and his son, Arthur, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- Stratford Hall, a Georgian Great House, became this Virginia calvalryman's home through marriage and would be the birthplace of his son, would later command the Confederate forces.
- It is believed that George Washington and two others consulted on designs for an official flag in the parlor of this seamstress' Philadelphia home.
- This handsomely designed Williamsburg home is named after its 18th-century owner, who not only was a signer of the Declaration but also the first law professor in an American college.
- The designer of this revival-style mansion was an architectural leader in America's young republic. His genius is reflected in his Virginia estate's innovative detailing: dumbwaiters, closets, alcove beds and skylights.
Answers:
- Thomas Payne
- Paul Revere
- Mount Vernon
- The Hills, known today as Lemon Hill
- Rhode Island
- Middleton Place
- Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee
- Betsy Ross
- George Wythe House
- Thomas Jefferson
)
)
