Harriton House

Bryn Mawr
Harriton House as it appeared circa 1919
Location 500 Harriton Road, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°02′05″N 75°18′41″W / 40.03472°N 75.31139°WCoordinates: 40°02′05″N 75°18′41″W / 40.03472°N 75.31139°W
Area 13.8 acres (5.6 ha)
Built 1704
Governing body Local
NRHP Reference # 73001643[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP July 2, 1973
Designated PHMC June 12, 1963[2]

Harriton House, originally known as Bryn Mawr, is an historic house on Pennsylvania's Main Line, most famously the residence of Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Continental Congress. It was originally built in 1704 by Rowland Ellis, a Welsh Quaker, and was called Bryn Mawr, meaning "high hill." The modern town of Bryn Mawr is named after the house, and the National Register listing is under the original name.

It was originally built as a "T"-shaped, two-story, fieldstone dwelling with a gable roof. The original front section is approximately 37 feet wide and 22 feet deep and rear extension approximately 18 feet wide and 23 feet deep. A one-story brick kitchen was added to the end of the rear extension. The house was renovated in 1911 and major additions made in 1926.[3]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1]

Harriton Association

The Harriton Association was started by a group of people who were concerned that the house and its surrounding grounds, which were privately owned at the time, would be subdivided and developed. The Association removed the 1926 additions and restored the house to look as it did when Charles Thomson lived in it in time for the 1976 Bicentennial of the United States.

The Association operates Harriton House as an historic house museum and cultural resource. Tours are given from Wednesday through Saturday, and special events are held at the house through the year.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  3. ↑ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (SEARCHABLE DATABASE). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes George Vaux (May 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Bryn Mawr" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.

External links