Ephraim and Sarah Tomlinson House

About The Ephraim Tomlinson House:

The Ephraim Tomlinson House, also known as the “Mansion,” is a three-story, Greek Revival mansion built by Ephraim and Sarah Tomlinson in 1844. The entrance features a marble staircase and Greek Revival portico, including a pair of ionic columns and matching pilasters supporting a classical entablature. Five additional, matching ionic columns are featured as part of the porch located at the south-facing exterior of the Mansion. The third story of the Mansion is shorter than the first two stories, which gives the impression of a Greek-style frieze. Greek Revival gems, such as the Mansion, are rare in South Jersey given that the area was sparsely populated during Greek Revival’s heyday. Notwithstanding some renovations and modifications over the years, the Mansion retains a high degree of integrity, particularly with respect to its exterior. The interior of the Mansion features three original fireplaces, original crown molding, and original trim around the doors and windows of the first floor. The home’s builder, Ephraim Tomlinson, was the great-great-grandson, of Joseph Tomlinson, a Quaker from London who settled the area in 1686. The Tomlinson family is one of the most prominent families of the early history of what is today southern Camden County. Ephraim built the Mansion overlooking a gristmill and sawmill, which he had constructed nearby several years earlier. Around the mills and Mansion, Ephraim founded the small community of Laurel Mills, which consisted of a slaughterhouse, several homes for Ephraim’s workers, and a schoolhouse, which still exists. The community later grew into the towns of Stratford and Laurel Springs. After World War I, the Mansion was no longer used as a residence and became occupied by a maternity hospital. In subsequent decades, it would be occupied by the Stratford Military Academy, the Camden County YWCA, and, most recently, the Stratford Classical Christian Academy. The Mansion has been vacant since 2015 following the closure of the Classical Christian Academy.

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