t part of Whitby Hall as it now stands was erected in 1754 by
James Coultas, wealthy merchant, shipowner, soldier and enthusiastic
promoter of many public and philanthropic enterprises. In 1741 he
established himself in a house then existing on the plantation that
corresponds to the present east wing, which was reconstructed with rare
fidelity in 1842 to match the western wing erected by Colonel Coultas.
The walls of the entire present house all around are of nicely squared
and dressed native gray stone, and to afford extra protection against
prevailing winds a penthouse with coved cornice runs along the northern
and western ends at the second-floor level. The gables of the west wing
face north and south with quaint oval windows to light the attic. A
flag-paved piazza extends across the south front, forming part of the
main entrance, while in a tower projection on the north front is located
the staircase already described. Both the hall doorway and windows in
this tower have brick trim, an unusual feature, while the bull's-eye
light in the tower pediment, also set in brick trim, was a porthole
glass from one of Colonel Coultas' ships.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXIV.--Ceiling Detail, Solitude; Cornice and
Frieze Detail, Solitude.]

[Illustration: PLATE LXXV.--Independence Hall, Independence Square Side.
Begun in 1731.]

As a merchant and in numerous other private enterprises, Colonel Coultas
amassed a substantial fortune. From 1744 to 1755 he was the lessee of
the Middle Ferry, where Market Street bridge now stands, and it was
chiefly due to his initiative that steps were first taken to make the
Schuylkill River navigable. He was one of the commissioners who surveyed
the stream and the first to demonstrate that large boats could be taken
above the falls. In 1748 he was a captain of the Associates, a battery
for the defense of Philadelphia against French insolence, and in 1756
during the Indian uprisings he became lieutenant-colonel of the county
regiment. He was repeatedly justice of the peace, high sheriff of the
county from 1755 to 1758, and in 1765 was appointed judge of the
Orphans' Court, Quarter Sessions, and Common Pleas. He carried on a farm
in Blockley, operated a sawmill on Cobb's Creek north of the Blue Bell
Inn, was a devout vestryman and enthusiastic huntsman. He it was who
laid the corner stone of the Church of St. James in 1762, and as a
member of the Colony in Schuylkill and the Gloucester Fox Hunting Club