West Hill is a center-hall, Federal-style residence constructed between 1797 and 1799 as a country estate for Samuel Emlen, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, and his wife, Susanna Dillwyn Emlen. The residence is significant for its Federal architecture, as embodied by its symmetrical façade, Flemish bond brick exterior and fanlights. It was at the house in 1813 that Susanna Dillwyn Emlen underwent surgery for breast cancer. A rear library, wrap-around porch and second-story sleeping porch were added by the home’s second resident, Eliza P. Kirkbride Gurney, in the late 19th century. Gurney was a devout Quaker and abolitionist who met with Abraham Lincoln in 1862 to express her opposition to both slavery and war. Lincoln invited her to write to him and her first letter was ultimately found in his pocket after his assassination. It is suspected that the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad, based on relationships Gurney had with abolitionists in Burlington City and rumors of two tunnels in the house’s basement providing access to the now-demolished rear barns.  

The Trust grant will help fund restoration of the exterior front door surround.