Powel House

From Turtledove

Powel House served as the executive mansion in Philadelphia after Washington, DC was deemed too close to the Confederate States following the Second Mexican War.

The house dated to the colonial period. It was built by Samuel Powel, the last colonial mayor of Philadelphia before the Revolution. He was also the first mayor after the Revolution. He and his wife were known as great entertainers, rubbing shoulders many of the Revolution's central figures, including George Washington.

When the Confederacy won the War of Secession, Washington D.C. became a less secure capital city. This was demonstrated most forcefully in 1881, when the city was shelled by the Confederacy in the course of the Second Mexican War. President James G. Blaine evacuated the government to Philidelphia. Powel House became the new Executive Mansion, and every president of the United States would reside there from then on.

During the Second Great War, US President Al Smith was killed in the bombing of Powel House by the Confederate Air Corp. The mansion was rebuilt quickly, and his successor, Charles W. La Follette moved in as a symbolic act to rally the country.