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History comes to life when you stand on the spot where it happened, and see the sight and hear the sounds of the past. Walk the same grounds as an early Provincial Governor of Pennsylvania. Enter the room where General George Washington carefully planned the Battle of Germantown. Hear the creak and groan of a massive waterwheel that gave power to an industry, and take a look inside the Perkiomen Creek where John James Audubon wandered. Gaze across the blue hills of Berks County at the boyhood home of Daniel Boone. Delight in the artistry of Pennsylvania folk art. Enjoy the aroma of bread in the bake oven. Stroll through formal gardens or wander down a country lane. Whether in a log house or a stately stone mansion, the voices of the past still echo. 

People of all ages can enjoy the sites of the Rural History Confederation. From farm animals to fine arts, there is plenty for everyone to enjoy. Discover the small details of life in early America that the history books omit. Learning about the past is an adventure for the whole family. The sights, the sounds, and the experiences of the past are waiting for you at the RHC sites. 

NEW!
Brandywine Battlefield Park US Route 1, PO Box 202
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
610-459-3342

The Brandywine Battlefield Park brings to life the largest engagement of the Revolutionary War, fought on September 11, 1777, between the Continental Army led by General George Washington and the British forces headed by General William Howe.  Brandywine Battlefield consists of fifty-two acres including the headquarters of General Washington and Lafayette’s Quarters prior to the Battle of Brandywine.  Part of the 10 square mile Brandywine Battlefield National Historic Landmark the park stands at the rear of the main American Lines during the battle.  General Washington and Lafayette used the homes of Benjamin Ring and Gideon Gilpin, respectively, as quarters during the battle.  Today, those two houses have been restored to their September 10-11, 1777 appearances.  The park and these historic properties are owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the assistance of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates.

 Open Tuesday – Saturday 9 am – 5 pm, Sunday noon- 5 pm.  Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at: www.ushistory.org/brandywine

Daniel Boone Homestead
400 Daniel Boone Road 
Birdsboro, PA 19508
(610) 582-4900

As the birth site of the great American frontiersman in 1734, the Daniel Boone Homestead interprets the life of early English and German settlers in eastern Berks County, Pennsylvania. The site includes the Boone House, Blacksmith Shop, Barn, Bertolet Log House, Sawmill, Visitor Center, picnic areas, and trails. 

Tuesday- Saturday, 9-5; Sunday, 12-5. Closed on major holidays. Admission is charged. 
For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.danielboonehomestead.org/

Historic Fallsington
4 Yardley Avenue
Fallsington, PA 19054
(215) 295-6567

Historic Fallisington, Inc., is a private, non-profit historic preservation organization and museum. Since 1953, the organization has been dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the 300-year-old village of Fallsington. The village, consisting of more than 90 historic buildings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, was a significant religious, social, and economic center for the surrounding community. It also provided an important stopover point for stagecoach travelers. William Penn, while in residence at nearby Pennsbury Manor, attended religious services in Fallsington. 

Open May through October: Sunday, 1-4; Monday-Saturday 10:00-4:00 PM. Closed on major holidays. Admission is charged. Reservations suggested. 

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.bucksnet.com/hisfalls

Graeme Park
859 County Line Road
Horsham, PA 19044
(215) 343-0965

Graeme Park was built in 1721-22 for Sir William Keith, one of Pennsylvania's colonial governors, and it remains the only surviving residence of a colonial governor of Pennsylvania. The manor house was later renovated by Keith's son-in-law, Dr. Thomas Graeme, into an elegant 18th century country home. Little has changed since then, and visitors to Graeme Park can still enjoy its original interiors and exceptionally fine Georgian paneling. Graeme Park not only tells a story about the lives of its privileged 18th-century residents; visitors can also learn about the histories of African slaves, indentured servants, day laborers, and craftsmen that are linked to the site. They can also explore the life of Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, a talented poetess of the 18th century.

Open Wednesday – Saturday 10-4, Sunday noon-4, last tour at 3pm each day.   Closed major Holidays.   Admission charged.

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.ushistory.org/graeme

Harriton House
P.O. Box 1364
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 525-0201

This substantial stone house was built in 1704 by a Welsh Quaker named Rowland Ellis. The house was originally called "Bryn Mawr" (meaning "High Hill" in Welsh) and was later named "Harriton" by its second owner, Richard Harrison. Under Harrison, the site became one of the northernmost slave-run tobacco plantations. The house has been restored and furnished with a variety of late 18th century and early 19th century furnishings. It is best known as the home of Charles Thomson, the only Secretary to the Continental Congresses, who lived here between 1789-1824. 

Harriton is located at 500 Harriton Road in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. 

Open Wednesday- Saturday, 10-4; Appointments preferred. Closed on major holidays. Admission is charged for adults; free admission for students. For more information and a calendar of events, please visit us at http://www.HarritonHouse.org

The Highlands
7001 Sheaff Lane 
Fort Washington, PA 19034
(215) 641-2687

The Highlands is comprised of an elegant late-Georgian mansion and nine outbuildings. It was built by prominent Philadelphian Anthony Morris in 1796. Its owners in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries enlarged the estate and created its magnificent formal gardens. Visitors to The Highlands can learn about the various owners and their imprint on the mansion and landscape. Tours include the mansion and gardens. Rental of the mansion may be arranged. 

Open Monday- Friday, Tours given at 1:30 and 3:00, other times by appointment. Closed on major holidays. Admission is charged.

For more information visit our website at www.highlandshistorical.org.

Hope Lodge
553 South Bethlehem Pike
Fort Washington, PA 19034
(215) 646-1595

Built between 1743-1748 for a wealthy Quaker entrepreneur named Samuel Morris, Hope Lodge is one of the finest surviving early Georgian mansions in Pennsylvania. The house features fine furniture, ceramics and paintings from both the 18th-century "Colonial" period and the 20th-century "Colonial Revival" period. Visitors will learn about the Colonial and Colonial Revival periods. Visitors may also enjoy our formal gardens.

Open all year: June-Oct, Tuesday - Saturday, 9-5; Oct-May, Wed - Sat, 9-5; Sundays, 12-5. Closed on major holidays. Admission is charged. 

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.ushistory.org/hope

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
2 Mark Bird Lane
Birdsboro, PA 19520
(610) 582-8773 (voice)
(610) 582-2093 (TDD)

From 1771 to 1883, the daily and yearly cycles of the blast furnace governed the workers of this rural, yet industrial community. Today, Hopewell Furnace is one of the finest examples of an early "iron plantation." The 848-acre site displays furnished homes such as the Ironmaster's Mansion, as well as other industrial buildings used by workers who lived in the shadow of the furnace. 

Open daily 9-5, closed on some Federal holidays. Closed on major holidays. Admission is charged. 

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.nps.gov/hofu/index.htm

Mill Grove 
(Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary)
P.O. Box 7125
Audubon, PA 19407-7125
(610) 666-5593

Built c. 1762, Mill Grove served as the first American home of John James Audubon, the famous naturalist and artist, who lived here from 1803 to 1806. Here Audubon conducted the first experiments with bird bandings in America. The museum itself features examples of every major work published by Audubon, including the double-elephant folio of the Birds of America. In addition, Mill Grove is a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can explore the park via self-guided hiking and nature trails. The site also includes a museum shop. 

Mill Grove is located at Audubon Road and Pawlings Road in Audubon, Pennsylvania. 

The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10-4; Sunday 1-4. Grounds are open Tuesday- Sunday from dawn to dusk. Closed on major holidays. Admission is free. 

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at 
http://www.montcopa.org/historicsites/mill grove narrative.htm

Morgan Log House
P.O. Box 261
Kulpsville, PA 19443
(215) 368-2480

The 18th-Century Morgan Log House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ninety percent of the structure is original. Visitors to the Morgan Log House can learn about Pennsylvania's early Welsh pioneer families, as told through the site's architectural features, fine antique furnishings, and period gardens. We offer guided tours, educational programs, and workshops throughout the year. A picnic grove is also available for visitors to enjoy. 

The Morgan Log House is located at 850 Weikel Road in Kulpsville, Pennsylvania. 
Open April 1 – December 30: Saturday, and Sunday, 12-5, for walk-in tours.  Hours daily by advanced appointment year-round.  Admission is charged.

 For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.morganloghouse.org

Pennsbury Manor
400 Pennsbury Memorial Road
Morrisvill, PA 19067
(215) 946-0400

Pennsbury Manor is the reconstruction of William Penn's 17th-century plantation on the banks of the Delaware River. The 43-acre estate features a Georgian style manor house, an adjoining bake and brew house, a dozen outbuildings, period formal and kitchen gardens, pastures, and stables with historically appropriate breeds of livestock. Pennsbury offers daily tours and presents some 80 educational programs throughout the year.

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9-5; Sunday, 1-4. Call for specific tour times. Grounds fees is charged.

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.pennsburymanor.org

Pennypacker Mills
5 Haldeman Road
Schwenksville, PA 19473
(610) 287-9349

This turn-of-the-20th-century Colonial Revival mansion of former Pennsylvania Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker is in a landscape-architect-designed setting with a surrounding farm. The site has original Pennypacker family furnishings in a late Victorian interior. Pennypacker Mills was also a Revolutionary War encampment site. Exhibit galleries, nature trails, picnic area, creeks, a wildflower meadow, and small museum shop are also available. 

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10-4; Sunday 1-4. Closed on major holidays. Admission is free. 

For more information and a calendar of events visit us at http://www.montcopa.org/historicsites/pennypacker mills narrative.htm

Peter Wentz Farmstead
P.O. Box 240
Worcester, PA 19490-0240
(610) 584-5104

Peter Wentz, Jr., son of German immigrants, built this Georgian-style manor house in 1758. The Wentz home served as a headquarters for General Washington during the fall of 1777. This elegant farmhouse features unique Germanic paint motifs, architectural features, and 18th-century furnishings. Melchior Schultz, a German Schwenkfelder minister, purchased the farm in 1794, and generations of the Shultz family continued to live and farm here until 1969. The farmstead also features a working farm, an 18th-century German style kitchen garden, and farm animals representing 18th-century breeds. 

Peter Wentz Farmstead is located off of Route 73, .02 miles east of the inter- section of Route 363, in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. 

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10-4; Sunday, 1-4. Last tour starts at 3:30. Closed on major holidays. Admission is free. Donations accepted. Group reservations required.

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.montcopa.org/historicsites/peter wentz narrative.htm

Pottsgrove Manor
100 West King Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610) 326-4014

This handsome stone mansion was built between 1752 and 1753 by John Potts, Pennsylvania's most successful colonial ironmaster and the founder of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. This early Georgian house has been carefully restored and furnished to reflect the lifestyle and period of John Potts, his family, servants, and slaves. The house is unique in that it contains the plantation's original slave quarters. Visitors can also enjoy our colonial revival garden. The site also includes a museum shop.

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10-4; Sundays 1-4. Closed on major holidays. Admission is free. 

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.montcopa.org/historicsites/pottsgrove manor narrative.htm

Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street
Pennsburg, PA 18073-1898
(215) 679-3103

The center's collection records the lives of this small German religious group who, in the 1730s, abandoned their homes in Silesia in order to start their lives anew in southeastern Pennsylvania. The center's exhibits and collections document the Schwenkfelder culture from their arrival to the present, and the history of the Perkiomen watershed region. Initiated in the 1880s, the site has become an important resource for genealogical studies, the history of the German Reformation, Pennsylvania German culture, and Schwenkfelder studies. 

Open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9-4; Thursday, 9-8; Saturday, 10-3; Sunday, 1-4. Closed on major holidays. Admission is free. 

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.schwenkfelder.com

Historic Waynesborough
2049 Waynesborough Road
Paoli, PA 19301
(610) 647-1779

Waynesborough (c. 1724) is the ancestral home of the famous Revolutionary War commander, General Anthony Wayne. The house is unique in that seven generations of the Wayne family have resided in the house from 1724 to 1966. Today, this elegant Georgian house exhibits the history of each generation, with emphasis on the General's life and military career. Waynesbourough is only five miles from Valley Forge and only a few miles west of the 1777 Battle of Paoli. The site also encompasses a meeting room, a gift shop, and picnic grounds. 

Open Mid-March through December for guided tours and slide presentation. Wed. through Sun. from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, or groups by appointment.  Closed on major holidays. Admission is charged. 

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.fieldtrip.com/pa/59252251.htm

Mennonite Heritage Center
P.O.Box 82
Harleysville, PA 19438
(215) 256-3020

Mennonites came from Germany and Switzerland to Penn's Woods over 300 years ago seeking religious freedom and economic opportunities. Settling an area
stretching from the Schuylkill River to the banks of the Delaware River,
they established farms, meetinghouses, schools, and communities. The
Mennonite Heritage Center is devoted to interpreting the history of these
rural Pennsylvanians, who strove to abide by their faith and their teachings
of non-resistance, communal living, religious non-conformity, and mutual
aid. The site includes permanent and changing exhibitions, historical
library and archives, and a museum shop.

The Mennonite Heritage Center is located at 565 Yoder Road in Harleysville,
Pennsylvania.
Open Tuesday-Friday, 10-5; Saturday, 10-2; Sunday, 2-5. Closed on major
holidays. Admission is by donation.

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at
http://www.mhep.org

Washington Crossing Historic Park
1112 River Road
P.O. Box 103
Washington Crossing, PA 18977
(215) 493-4076

This 500-acre historic park consists of two discontinuous tracts. The Lower Park interprets the story of General Washington and his army's crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 and subsequent victories at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. This area includes the historic structures of the McKonkey Ferry Inn/Tavern as well as the 19th century village of Taylorsville.   Recreational facilities with picnic pavilions, Visitors Center, replica Durham boats and museum store are also part of the Lower Park. The Upper Park includes Bowman's Hill Tower (an observation tower, open seasonally), the historic Thompson-Neely house and grist mill, and a small military cemetery where members of Washington's army were buried during the 1776-77 encampment.

Driving directions: North on US I 95, to New Hope/Yardley exit, left off exit onto Taylorsville Rd to 2nd light, right onto Rt 532 to the first stop sign, left onto Rt 32 (River Road) to the Park (approx. 5 miles from I95 exit)

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9-5; Sunday, 12-5. Closed Mondays & certain holidays. Reservations required for group tours. Admission is charged.

For more information and a calendar of events, visit us at http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bhsm/toh/washington/washingtoncrossing.asp?secid=14

NEW!
William Brinton 1704 House and Historic Site

William Brinton
1704 House and Historic Site
Dilworthtown, PA
Historic Quaker Home
610-399-0913

Set among the rolling hills of the Brandywine Valley, the William Brinton 1704 House is one of the most authentic restorations in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.  In 1704, in order to accommodate his wife and growing family, the younger William Brinton built this stone house based upon his recollections of medieval English architecture.  The result was a home of uncommon grace, now known as the William Brinton 1704 House.  Room by room inventories taken at the death of the builder in 1751 provided a guide for the unusually authentic collection of furnishings.  The house’s notable features include twenty-seven leaded casement windows, plentiful closets, an indoor bake oven, raised hearths and a colonial herb garden.

Open Daily, May 1 through October 31, 10 am - 2 pm Mondays thru Fridays, 11 am – 6 pm Saturdays and Sundays, (Except Holidays). Groups by appointment only.

November 1 through April 30, By appointment only.  Admission is charged.

For more information, visit us at: www.brintonfamily.org

e-mail: Queries@RuralHistoryConfederation.org