Boelson Cottage

Boelson Cottage is a one-and-a-half-story fieldstone building in Fairmount Park with a gambrel roof and wooden elements that blend Dutch and Swedish colonial building methods. The structure demonstrates typical construction techniques from these early European settlers.

John Boelson received the land in 1677 from the Swedish colonial court in Upland, and the house was built between 1678 and 1684. This early start makes it an important record of Swedish settlement in the region.

The cottage shows how Swedish settlers built homes in early colonial America. It stands as one of the few remaining examples of this style in the region and tells us about the different European groups who shaped Philadelphia.

You can view the exterior from Martin Luther King Jr Drive, as the building now serves as an office for Friends of Philadelphia Parks. The interior is not open to visitors since it is used for administrative work.

The cottage went by several different names through its history, including Pig's Eye, Tom Moore's House, Aunt Cornelia's, and Belmont Cottage. These changing names show how ownership shifted over time and tell a story of the building's long use.

Location: Philadelphia

Inception: 1678

GPS coordinates: 39.98960,-75.20300

Latest update: December 11, 2025 18:01