Property’s Weekend Agenda: NoLibs Estate Sale With Rare Revolutionary War Desk

Desk made from the Augusta. All images via Sales by Helen

We just love ourselves a good bit of history here at Property. From homes built before George Washington was born to the personal residence of a master craftsman, history runs real deep here in Philadelphia. For this reason, we’ll be popping by a special one-day-only estate sale in Northern Liberties on Sunday, February 22 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. It’s chock-full of spectacular Philadelphia and American history.

The estate, located at 999 North 6th Street, used to be a private hospital run by Dr. Isidor P. Strittmatter in the late 1800s. John Romani of Sales by Helen, the group running the sale, tells us that many of the original elements of the Strittmatter mansion remain, and some of his personal belongings are being sold as well.

That includes a mission-style desk with three chairs custom made from the Oak timber of the English warship Augusta, a Revolutionary War frigate that ran aground in the shallows of the Delaware River during the Battle of Red Bank in 1777.  

It eventually caught fire while stuck in the shallows and was later destroyed in a massive explosion. The boat was raised in the 1800s and they used the timber to make some furniture. Dr. Strittmatter used them as his personal desk and chairs and the desk itself features a placard with an etching of the Augusta. Psh, and you thought your seats from The Spectrum were cool (they are, by the way).

Here are a few other notable pieces to be sold on Sunday:

• Mahogany Carved Bookcase
• Belgian Linen Mahogany Parlor Table with Dragon Heads
• Sheraton Style Dining Table & 6 Chairs
• Portrait of young Dr. Strittmatter
• Village at Sunset Oil Painting
• Pair of Ormolu & Enameled Metal Figures
• Collection of Antique & Contemporary  Books

We’ve selected a few of our favorite pieces for the gallery below, including a close up the the placard on the desk that denotes its Augusta origins. The full gallery can be found here, with a list of items here.