Lost amidst the landscape, the Wakefield Tenant House Ruins whispers tales of a bygone era. The story of Wakefield begins with Sarah and Thomas Fisher. They built their mansion in 1798 at the corner of Ogontz and Lindley Avenues.
Wakefield was home to four generations of the Fisher family. This lasted until 1918 when the City of Philadelphia acquired it. Sadly a fire destroyed the house in 1985.
Sarah Logan Fisher married Thomas Fisher in 1722. Her brother inherited Stenton in 1776. Sarah and Thomas built Wakefield on the northeast portion of the Stenton grounds. Sarah documented her family’s life in diaries. These diaries are now kept by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
William Logan Fisher son of Sarah Logan and Thomas Fisher inherited Wakefield in 1807. He lived there with his family. His children were Thomas Rodman Fisher Sarah Logan Fisher and Elizabeth Rodman Fisher.
William Logan Fisher was an industrialist. He established the Wakefield Manufacturing Company in 1815. It was a woolen mill. The mill was located on land near Wingohocking Creek. His son Thomas Fisher brought knitters together there. This created the first knitting factory in America.
Sarah Lindley Fisher married William Logan Fisher in 1817. They had three children Lindley Charles William and Mary Rodman Fisher. After Elizabeth Rodman Fisher died Wakefield became the property of Mary. She had married Samuel Fox.
The Fox family lived in Philadelphia. They lived in their huge house at Broad and Pine Streets with their daughter Hannah. Later Joseph Mickle Fox and his wife Emily took over Wakefield.
Eventually the property was given to the City of Philadelphia. The Colonial Dames of America took responsibility for the house. The Logan-Fisher-Fox family papers contain extensive material from the lives of William Logan and Sarah Lindley Fisher.
Descendants of Sarah and Thomas Fisher also built Little Wakefield and Waldheim. They purchased the Belfield property from Charles Willson Peale. William Logan Fisher bought the Belfield estate from Charles Willson Peale’s family in 1826. His daughter Sarah married William Wister. They raised their six sons there.
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania holds the Fox family papers. These include diaries of Mary Rodman Fisher and her grandfather Thomas Fisher. The Wakefield estate connects to Belfield and La Salle University’s past. These ruins are a reminder of the families who shaped this land. Their stories echo through the stones offering a glimpse into Philadelphia’s rich history.