Historic House Museums in Pennsylvania

We try to keep this list of historic house museums for Pennsylvania current, but it is best to check directly with the museums for their hours and other information. If you know of a historic house museum in Pennsylvania that should be listed here, please use our submission form to let us know about it.

Allentown

Lehigh County Historical Society

Several historic sites are open to the public such as the 1756 Troxell-Steckel House, the 1768 George Taylor House, and the 1893 Frank Buchman House

Open weekends Jun-Oct • •

Altoona

Baker Mansion

The 1844 Greek Revival Mansion was the home of ironmaster Elias Baker.

Open Tue-Sun 1-4:30, Memorial Day-Labor Day; Sat-Sun 1-4:30, mid-Apr to Memorial Day, Labor Day-Oct • 1 mile west of US220 via Logan Blvd. • (814) 942-3916

Ambridge

Old Economy Village

Among the 18 original structures that have been restored are the George Rapp House and the Frederick Rapp House.

Open Tue-Sat 9-4, Sun 12-5 • Call for directions • (412) 266-4500

Baumstown

Daniel Boone Homestead

The 579 acre Boone Homestead includes the original 10 room stone house that was the birthplace of the famous frontiersman. The 1730-79 home is furnished with mid 18th century Pennsylvania furniture.

Open Tue-Sat 9-5, Sun 12-5 • 9 miles east of Reading on US422, then 1 mile north on Daniel Boone Rd • (610) 582-4900

Bethlehem

John Sebastian Goundie House

Built in 1810 and is considered to be the first Federal style brick residence in Bethlehem.

Need hours & phone number • 501 Main St •

Boalsburg

Columbus Chapel & Boal Mansion Museum

The mansion contains the original furnishings. The chapel once belonged to the family of Christopher Columbus and was brought to the estate in 1909.

Open May 1 to Oct 31 six days a week (closed Mondays). In Spring and Fall, 1:30 to 5 PM and in summer (June 21 to Labor Day) 10 am to 5 pm (Sundays, Noon to 5 pm). • US322 Business Route • (814) 466-6210

Bristol

Grundy Museum

Built in the early 1800s, and then later remodeled and furnished in the Victorian style when it was the family home of Sen. Joseph Grundy.

Open Mon-Fri 1-4, Sat 1-3 Sep-Jun; Mon-Fri 1-4 rest of the year • 610 Radcliffe St. • (215) 788-9432

Brookville

Jefferson County Historical & Genealogical Society

The Brady Craig House was built in the late 1830s or early 1840s and displays Victorian furniture, maps, diaries and photographs.

Open Tue-Sun 2-5 • 232 Jefferson St • (814) 849-0077

Broomall

Thomas Massey House

Built in 1696, it is one of the oldest Quaker houses in Pennsylvania. Restored to its original condition, it contains period furnishings.

Open Mon-Fri 1-4, Sun 2-4:30 • Lawrence Rd. at Springhouse Rd. • (610) 353-3644

Brownsville

Nemacolin Castle

The stately brick home was built in 1789 and has 22 rooms decorated in different styles.

Open Tue-Sun 11-4:30, Jun 1 - Labor Day; Sat-Sun 10-4:30 Easter-May 31 & Labor Day to mid-Oct • Brashear & Front St. • (412) 785-6882

Bryn Athyn

Glencairn Museum

Glencairn, built in the 1930's, was the home of Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn. It is now a museum that educates visitors about the history of religion, using art and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods. Religious life through the ages is presented by means of a remarkable collection illustrating religions as varied as ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek and Roman, medieval Christian, Islamic, Asian, and Native American.

See their web site for tour info • 1001 Cathedral Rd • (267) 502-2601

Bryn Mawr

Harriton House

The two story house was the home of Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress. Built in 1704, the house has some original furnishings and has been restored to its original appearance.

Open Wed-Sat 10-4 or by appt. • Harriton Rd. • (610) 525-0201

Center Point

Peter Wentz Farmstead

The 90 acre working farm has a Georgian style mansion furnished in period.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-4 • .3 miles SE of junction of SR73 & SR 363 • (610) 584-5104

Chester

Caleb Pusey House

Restored brick cottage built in 1683.

Need hours and phone • 2 miles west on Landingford Plantation •

Clark

Tara

This 1854 Greek Revival mansion is decorated with antiques and period furnishings. Tours are led by guides wearing Civil War era costumes.

Open Mon-Sat 10-3, Sun 12-3 • SR 258 • (412) 962-3535 or (800) 782-2803

Columbia

Wright's Ferry Mansion

The restored 1738 English style stone house contains a collection of early 18th century Philadephia furniture.

Open Tue-Wed & Fri-Sat 10-3, May-Oct • 2nd & Cherry Sts. • (717) 684-4325

Concordville

Newlin Mill Park

In addition to the grist mill, there is the miller's house, dating from 1739 and furnished in period.

Open daily 9-dusk Mar-Sep; 8-5 rest of the year • 1.5 miles east on US1 • (610) 459-2359

Dawson

Linden Hall Mansion

35 room English Tudor mansion built in 1913.

Call for hours • SR 819 • (412) 529-7543 or 461-2424

Doylestown

Fonthill Museum

This castle like house of Dr. Henry Chapman Mercer was built from 1908 to 1910. The concrete mansion has 44 rooms, 32 stairways and more than 200 windows.

Open Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5 • E. Court St at SR 313 • (215) 348-9461

Dublin

Pearl S. Buck House

The home of author and humanitarian Pearl S. Buck was built in 1835.

Guided tours Tue-Sat at 10:30, 1:30 & 2:30; Sun at 1:30 & 2:30 Mar-Dec • 520 Dublin Rd. • (215) 249-0100

Elizabeth

Round Hill Exhibit Farm

The small working form includes the 1838 brick farmhouse.

Open daily 8-dusk • Round Hill Rd. • (412) 384-8555

Erie

Erie Historical Museum

The museum is in a c.1890 24 room mansion and has exhibits on local history.

Open Tue-Sun 1-5, Sep-May; Tue-Fri 10-5 rest of the year • 356 W. 6th St • (814) 871-5790

Erie History Center

Exhibits highlight local industry and architecture. Included is the 1839 Cashiers House, the Greek Revival residence of the chief officer of the United States Bank.

Open Tue-Sat 1-4 • 417 State St • (814) 454-1813

Forty Fort

Nathan Denison House

Built in 1790, the house is considered to be the oldest frame dwelling in the Wyoming Valley. It is furnished with antiques and period pieces. Costumed interpreters are available Sunday afternoons, May-Sep.

Call for hours or appointments • 35 Denison St • (717) 288-5531 or 287-7055

Franklin

Hoge-Osmer House

The circa 1865 house has displays of local history.

Need hours and phone number • South Park & Elk St •

Gettysburg

Eisenhower National Historic Site

The 231 acre farm includes the carefully preserved house of President Eisenhower.

Open daily 8:30-4 • National Park Visitor Center on SR 134 • (717)334-1124

Jennie Wade House

The house was occupied by the only civilian to die in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Open daily 9-9, Jun-Aug; 9-7, Apr-May & Sep-Oct; 9-5 rest of the year • 547 Baltimore St. • (717) 334-4100

Lee's Headquarters and Museum

Gen. Robert E. Lee established his personal headquarters in this old stone house which dates from the 1700s.

Open daily 9-9, mid-Apr to mid-Oct; 9-5 mid-Mar to mid-Apr & mid-Oct to Nov 30 • .7 miles west on US 30 • (717) 334-3141

Lincoln Room Museum

The Wills House is where Abraham Lincoln stayed in 1863 and completed his Gettysburg Address. The furnishings are original.

Open daily 9-7 Memorial Day-Labor Day; other days hours vary • US 15 Business Route & US 30 • (717) 334-8188

Shriver House Museum

The home of George Washington Schriver was built in 1860 on what was then considered a double lot on the edge of town. George's intentions were to raise his family here as well as house his business venture "Schrivers' Saloon and Ten Pin Alley". The home was originally built with an adjacent building located steps from the rear of the home and was 16 feet wide by 64 feet long, enough room for two bowling lanes.

See their web site for hours • 309 Baltimore Street • (717) 337-2800

Harmony

The Harmony Museum

Museum dedicated to the town of Harmony.

Harrisburg

Fort Hunter Mansion

Built in 1787 and enlarged in 1814, the home features displays of pewter, furniture, costumes, toys and other 19th century items. A 35 acre park surrounds the mansion and includes other historic buildings. Call for hours. (717) 599-575

John Harris/Simon Cameron Mansion

Built by the town's founder in 1766 and remodeled in 1863 by Simon Cameron, the house features exhibits local history and art. - Call for hours. -(717) 233-3462

Horsham

Graeme Park

The well preserved stone house dates from the early 1700s when Sir William Keith was the governor of Pennsylvania.

Open • •

Indiana

Breezedale

Need more info

Call for more info • Indiana University of Pennsylvania • (412) 357-6495

Jim Thorpe

Harry Packer Mansion

The mansion features 400 pound doors made of solid walnut with bronze hardware and etched glass panels.

Open Sun 1-4 (and occasional weekdays) • Call for directions • (717) 325-8566

The Asa Packer Mansion Museum

The Mansion was the home of philanthropist, railroad magnate, and founder of Lehigh University, Asa Packer. Built in 1861 by architect Samuel Sloan of Philadelphia, the home was constructed over a span of two years and cost a total of $14,000 dollars.

See their web site for hours and directions • (570) 325-3229

Lancaster

The Amish Farm & House

A 45 minute lecture tour explaining the Amish way of life is given in the 1805 house.

Open daily 8:30-6 Jun-Aug; 8:30-5 Apr-May & Sep-Oct; 8:30-4 rest of the year • 5 miles east on US30 • (717) 394-6185

Rock Ford

The preserved 18th century plantation of Edward Hand.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4 Apr-Oct • 881 Rock Rod Rd. • (717) 392-7223

Wheatland

The 1828 Federal mansion of James Buchanan contains original furnishings in restored rooms.

Open daily 10-4 Apr-Nov • •

Lebanon

Tulpehocken Manor Inn and Plantation

The house built in 1769 and remodeled in 1883 is furnished with antiques.

Open by appt. • 3 miles east on US 422 • (717) 273-3727

Lewisburg

Packwood House Museum

This 27 room three story building started out as a two story log structure.

Open Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5 • 15 N. Water St. • (717) 524-0323

Slifer House Museum

Slifer House Museum was built for Eli Slifer who served as Secretary of PA. during the Civil War. His house was designed by the eminent Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, 1860-1862.The restored Victorian mansion overlooking the Susquehanna River was built about 1862. Victorian furnishings and decorative arts are displayed.

See their web site for hours • 80 Magnolia Drive • (570) 524-2245

Lititz

Johannes Mueller House

Built in 1792, the stone and log house is furnished in period.

Open Mon-Sat 10-4 May; Sat-Mon Jun to mid Dec • 137-139 E. Main St. • (717) 626-7958

Lock Haven

Heisey Museum

The two story Victorian house contains period rooms and furnishings.

Open Tue-Fri 10-4 & 2nd Sun of each month 12-5 • 362 E. Water St. • (717) 748-7254

Milesburg

Curtin Village

The 1830 Federal style mansion is restored and furnished to look as it did in 1850.

Open Wed-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-5, Memorial Day-Labor Day; Sat 10-4, Sun 1-5 Labor-Day to mid-Oct • 3 miles n.e. of I80 exit 23 on SR 150 •

Nazareth

Whitfield House

The house is now the Moravian Historical Society's Museum and Research Library.

Need hours and phone number • 214 E. Center St. •

New Castle

Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts

Two restored 25 room mansions built in the 1900s now contain art galleries.

Open Tue-Sat 9-4 • 124 E. Leasure Ave. • (412) 652-2882

Northumberland

Joseph Priestley House

The house contains period furnishings and the laboratory and books of Dr. Priestley, the discover of oxygen. (must of been kind of hard to breath before that :)

Open Tue-Sat 9-5, Sun 12-5 • 472 Priestley Ave. • (717) 473-9474

Ohiopyle

Fallingwater

One of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous houses. The weekend home is cantilevered over a waterfall.

Open Tue-Sun 10-4 Apr to mid-Nov; Sat-Sun 10-4 rest of the year • 19 miles south on SR 381 • (412) 329-8501

Paoli

Waynesborough

The birthplace and home of Revolutionary War hero Gen. Anthony Wayne. The restored Georgian style house was built of native stone quarried on the property. The house is furnished in period.

Open Tue & Thu 10-4, Sun 1-4, mid-Mar to late-Dec • 2049 Waynsborough Rd. • (610) 644-5822

Philadelphia

Betsy Ross House •
If Betsy really sewed the first flag, this is the house where she would have made it.

Open Tue-Sun 10-5 • 239 Arch St. • (215) 627-5343

Cliveden •
The Georgian country house was built in 1763-67 for Benjamin Chew. Furnishings including 18th and 19th century pieces trace 2 centuries of Chew family history. National Trust property.

Open Thu-Sun 12-4 Apr-Dec • 6401 Germantown Ave. • (215) 848-1777

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion

The rooms of the 1859 Victorian home, with their stenciled walls and ceilings, are furnished in period.

Open Thu-Sun 1-4 Apr-Dec • 200 W. Tulpenhocken St. • (215) 438-1861

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

The poet lived in this house from 1843-1844.

Open daily 9-5 • 532 N. 7th St. • (215) 597-8780

Fairmount Park Historic Houses

Along the banks of the Schuylkill River were the homes of the wealthy Philadephians. The mansions were abandoned soon after 1822, when completion of Fairmont Dam created swampy conditions that bred mosquitos carrying typhoid fever. All of the houses listed below have separate admission and hours. Call for more info.
Cedar Grove - 18th century Quaker farmhouse
Laurel Hill - Federal house with octagonal drawing room
Lemon Hill - Masterpiece of 19th century architecture
Mount Pleasant - Features Chippendale style furnishings
Strawberry Mansion - Furnished in period
Sweetbriar Mansion - Restored in 1927 and furnished in period
Woodford Mansion - Displays Colonial housewares

Call for hours and directions • (215) 684-7922

Historic Bartram's Garden

The home of Colonial botanist John Bartram, the estate is now a public park. The house was renovated to appear the way it did in the 1700s.

Open Wed-Sun 12-4, May-Oct; Wed-Fri, 12-4 rest of the year • Lindberg Blvd., west of 54th St. • (215) 729-5281

Bishop White House

The restored home of Pennsylvania's first Protestant Episcopal bishop contains many original articles.

Open daily 9-5 • 309 Walnut St. • (215) 597-8974

Deshler-Morris House

George Washington slept here during the fall of 1793 and the summer of 1794. The restored 1772 house is furnished in period.

Open Tue-Sat 1-4, Apr to mid-Dec • 5442 Germantown Ave. • (215) 596-1748

Todd House

The home of Dolley Payne Todd before her marriage to James Madison.

Open daily 9-5 • 4th & Walnut Sts. • (215) 597-8974

Powel House

A Revolutionary War era mansion with elegant furnishings and lovely garden.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, May-Jul; call for hours rest of year • 244 S. 3rd St. • (215) 627-0364

Stenton Mansion

Built in 1830 by James Logan, the house served as Revolutionary War headquarters for George Washington.

Open Tue-Sat 1-4, Mar 15-Dec 5 • 18th & Windrim Sts. • (215) 329-7312

Wyck

A unique survival, Wyck is the home of nine generations of one Philadelphia Quaker family, the Wistars and Haines, who owned it from 1689 to 1973. Original furnishings show the family's accumulation over two hundred years.

Open Tue, Thu and Sat - 1pm to 4pm Apr-Dec • 6026 Germantown Ave. • (215) 848-1690

Woodmere Art Museum

A visual art museum focusing on the art and artists of the Philadelphia region housed in a 19th century Victorian mansion located in historic Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia.

Open Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5 • 9201 Germantown Ave. • (215) 247-0476

Pittsburgh

Clayton

The home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick features original furnishings. The Carriage Museum has exhibits of carriages, sleighs and vintage automobiles.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-5 • 7227 Reynolds St. • (412) 371-0606

Hartwood

The 629 acre estate recreates an English country estate, including a Gothic Tudor mansion.

Guided tours on the hour Wed-Sat 10-3, Sun 12-4, Apr-Dec (reservations are required); Special Christmas tours • 215 Saxonburg Blvd. • (412) 767-9200

Point Marion

Friendship Hill National Historic Site

The scenic 340 acre site features the home that Albert Gallatin, treasury secretary for Presidents Jefferson and Madison, built for his first wife in 1789.

Open daily 8:30-5 • 3 miles north on SR 166 • (412) 725-9190

Pottstown

Pottsgrove Manor

The 1752 home of town founder John Potts has been restored. It contains 18th century Pennsylvania furnishings.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-4 • 100 W. King St. • (610) 326-4014

Scottdale

West Overton Museums

Among the complex's buildings are the 1838 Abraham Overholt Homestead and Springhouse, the birthplace of Henry Clay Frick.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-5, mid-May to mid-Oct • 1 mile north on SR 819 • (412) 887-7910

Warren

Warren County Historical Society

The society is housed in an 1873 Italian Renaissance house. Some rooms are furnished in period.

Open Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 9-12 • 210 4th Ave. • (814) 723-1795

Washington

Bradford House

David Bradford was a leader in the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion and his house is furnished in 18th century style.

Open Wed-Sat 11-4, Sun 1-4, May 1 to mid-Dec • 175 S. Main St. • (412) 222-3604 or 225-7966

LeMoyne House

Built in 1812, the early Greek Revival stone mansion served as Dr. LeMoyne's office and apothecary. It also served as a stop on the underground railroad.

Open Wed-Fri 12-4, Feb-Dec • 49 E. Maiden St. • (412) 225-6740

Washington Crossing Historic Park

Thompson-Neely House & Taylor House

The two houses are in different sections of the park but are both included on the same admission ticket. The Thompson-Neely House was built in 1702, while the Taylor House was built in 1816.

Call for hours • • (215) 493-4076

Wanesburg

Greene County Historical Museum

The museum is housed in a 52 room mid-Victorian structure that formerly housed the county's "poor farm." Fourteen rooms are furnished in period.

Open Wed-Fri 10-4, Sat-Sun 12-4, May-Aug; Thu-Sun, 12-4 Sep-Oct • old SR 21 • (412) 627-3204

Womelsforf

Conrad Weiser Homestead

The home of Conrad Weiser, Colonial interpreter and peacemaker during the French and Indian War.

Open Wed-Sat 9-5, Sun 12-5 • .5 miles east on US422 • (610) 589-2934

Zelienople

Passavant House

The 10 room Federal style home was built in 1808 for Zelie Basse passavant, for whom the town was named. The house contains period furniture and clothing.

Open Wed & Sat 1-4, May-Sep • 243 S. Main St. • (412) 452-9457

City