Pennypacker Mills is an American

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

mansion that is surrounded by of farmland in Perkiomen Township, near Schwenksville,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Located on the shore of the

Perkiomen Creek Perkiomen Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania.Gertler ...

, it is situated approximately northwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The house was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1976.

History and architectural features

Originally built circa 1720 by Hans Jost Hite, this mansion was purchased in 1747 by Peter Pennebacker, and remained privately owned by Pennypackers for eight generations. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

used Pennypacker Mills in the fall of 1777 as a headquarters prior to the

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American ...

, and also as a field hospital for injured soldiers after the battle. Pennsylvania governor Samuel Pennypacker made the Mills his summer home during the early 1900s, and lived there for much of his term in office (1903–1907). After his term, he lived at the Mills year-round until his death in 1916. He was an avid collector of antiques and manuscripts, and many of these can still be found on display at the Mills, along with letters and orders written by George Washington. The house was added to the

in 1976. Pennypacker Mills hosts special events such as

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

reenactments on a regular basis, and is open to the public for tours Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. with the last daily tour at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Gallery

File:Pennypacker Mills 2 Montco PA.jpg, Western elevation File:Pennypacker Mills Dining Room.jpg, The home's dining room, decorated for the holiday season Pennypacker Mills.jpg, Mantle decorated for Christmas Pennypacker's Mills.png, view in 1918

References

External links

Pennypacker Mills
visitors website

including detailed history of Samuel and the Mills
Montgomery County website
including a photographic tour of Pennypacker Mills. {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania culture Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Museums in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Houses in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Parks in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Historic house museums of the Pennsylvania Germans