venue, Germantown. Erected in 1748.]

[Illustration: PLATE XXI.--Johnson House, 6306 Germantown Avenue,
Germantown. Erected in 1765-68 by Dirck Jansen; Billmeyer House,
Germantown Avenue, Germantown. Erected in 1727.]

The Wistar house, at the southwest corner of Fourth and Locust streets,
to which architectural reference has previously been made, was built
about 1750 and for nearly three quarters of a century thereafter was the
scene of constant hospitality and lavish entertainment. Here lived
Doctor William Shippen, whose marriage to Alice, the daughter of Thomas
Lee, of Virginia, and the sister of Richard Henry and Arthur Lee, was
one of the numerous alliances which drew the county families of Virginia
and Maryland into close relationship with Philadelphia families.
Doctor Shippen's home quickly became the resort of the Virginia
aristocracy when visiting the national capital, and in consequence there
was a constant succession of balls and dinners during the winter season.

In 1799 the house was occupied by Doctor Caspar Wistar, the eminent
anatomist, known to the elite of the city and nation for his brilliant
social gatherings and as the man for whom that beautiful climbing plant,
the _Wistaria_, was named. Doctor Wistar's geniality, magnetism,
intellectual leadership and generous hospitality made his home a
gathering place for the most distinguished personages of his day in the
professions, arts, sciences, letters and politics. Since he held a chair
at the University of Pennsylvania and carried on an extensive private
practice, the demands upon his time were great, but Sunday evenings, and
later on Saturday evenings, he was at home to his friends, who formed
the habit of calling regularly in numbers from ten to fifty and often
bringing new-found friends, sure of a hearty welcome, brilliant
conversation and choice refreshments. And so began one of the cherished
institutions of Philadelphia, the Wistar Parties, which were continued
after the doctor's death in 1818 by Wistar's friends and their
descendants. The Civil War brought an interruption, but in 1886 the
gatherings were again resumed; few of the distinguished visitors to the
city failed to be invited to attend, and, having attended, to praise
most highly the exceptional hospitality shown them. During Doctor
Wistar's lifetime the personnel of the parties gradually became
substantially the membership of that world-famous scientific
organization, the Philosophica