The Johnson House
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Built in 1768 for John Johnson. This was home to three generations of a Quaker family who worked to abolish slavery and improve living conditions for freed African Americans. In the 1850s this house was a station on the Underground Railroad. Here and in smaller buildings on the property, men and women escaping slavery found shelter on their way to freedom.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Built in 1768 for John Johnson, this stone house in Germantown sheltered three generations of a Quaker family who devoted themselves to abolishing slavery and aiding freed African Americans. By the 1850s it served as a station on the Underground Railroad, where freedom seekers found refuge in the house and its outbuildings as they made their way north. It stands today as a rare surviving Underground Railroad site with a documented Quaker antislavery legacy.
Why it matters
The Johnson House is a tangible link to the Quaker abolitionist movement and the clandestine network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- African American Museum in Philadelphia6.4 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Constitution Center6.4 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Visitor Center6.6 mi away · 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy Ross House6.6 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Illadelph Glass Gallery6.6 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Museum of Illusions Philadelphia6.6 mi away · 401 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir4.2 mi away
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge4.7 mi away
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle5.0 mi away
- Philadelphia Zoo5.0 mi away
- Rocky Steps5.4 mi away
- Philly Gun Range5.8 mi away · North Percy Street
Food & drink
- Independence Mall Cafe6.5 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- Burger King6.6 mi away
- Dunkin'6.6 mi away · 634 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters6.6 mi away
- Philly Pretzel Factory6.6 mi away
- Time & Peace6.6 mi away · 36 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center - Philadelphia6.1 mi away · 1227 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center6.1 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia6.2 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Sleep Inn Center City6.3 mi away · 1020 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Philadelphia - Convention Center, PA6.3 mi away · 1200 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- The Notary Hotel6.3 mi away · 21 North Juniper Street, Philadelphia
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Related people
- · John Johnson
Related events
- · Underground Railroad
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
C. DeLores Tucker (1927-2005)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2006
For 47 years C. DeLores Tucker made her home here while becoming one of Pennsylvania's most forceful advocates for civil rights and women's equality. As the nation's first African American woman to serve as a state Secretary of State, she championed the state Equal Rights Amendment, affirmative action, mail-in voter registration, and lowering the voting age to 18. Late in life she led a high-profile campaign against music lyrics she considered demeaning to women and Black Americans.
Sadie T.M. Alexander (1898-1989)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1993
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander broke barrier after barrier in early-to-mid-20th-century America, becoming the first Black woman admitted to the Pennsylvania bar. A tireless force in the Urban League and other civil rights causes, she was appointed in 1946 to President Truman's Committee on Civil Rights, whose landmark report helped set the stage for later desegregation. She spent her later years in this Philadelphia home.
First Protest Against Slavery
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In 1688, in the Germantown home of Tunes Kunders, a small group of German Quakers put pen to paper in what is remembered as the first formal protest against slavery in the American colonies. Drafted by Francis Daniel Pastorius and three others, the document argued on grounds of the Golden Rule that holding human beings in bondage was wrong. It came fully 92 years before Pennsylvania enacted the nation's first state abolition law.
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Roy Campanella launched his professional baseball career while still a Philadelphia high-schooler, catching in the Negro Leagues from the late 1930s before the color line fell. He then became a record-breaking star for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1948 to 1957, winning three National League MVP awards and earning All-Star honors year after year. His Hall of Fame election in 1969 sealed his place among the game's greats.