The David Bradford House is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

at 175 South Main Street in

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...

. Completed in 1788, it was the home of David Bradford, a leader of the

Whiskey Rebellion The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...

. It has both architectural and historic importance, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1983. It is open weekly between April and November, or by appointment.

History

The house was built by David Bradford, a successful lawyer and deputy attorney-general for

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county i ...

who would later become a leader in the

. It was the first stone house on South Main Street in

in 1788, which, by frontier standards, ranked as a mansion. The two-story building was built in the Georgian style, with dressed stone four-bay windows. The house has side hall entry with a fanlight transom. The stairway was solid mahogany; the mantel-pieces and other interior furnishings, imported from Philadelphia, were transported across the Alleghenies at considerable expense. While restoring the house a secret underground passage was discovered leading to a nearby ravine. This tunnel was presumably used as an escape route in the event of an attack on the house. Bradford and his family occupied the house only for 6 years, until 1794, when he fled following the

. It was in this home that author

Rebecca Harding Davis Rebecca Blaine Harding Davis (June 24, 1831 – September 29, 1910) was an American author and journalist. She was a pioneer of literary realism in American literature. She graduated valedictorian from Washington Female Seminary in Pennsylvania ...

was born on June 24, 1831. A historical marker honoring her a few blocks away was the first dedicated to a woman in Washington, Pennsylvania.http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20130413/NEWS01/130419666/-1/NEWS10 By the 1930s, the building was in such disrepair that

Charles Morse Stotz Charles Morse Stotz was an architect, architectural historian, and preservationist. He is known for his extensive study of the architectural history of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. He was one of the architects to practice in the field of ...

did not include the building in his ''The Early Architecture of Western Pennsylvania.'' However, by the book's 2nd printing in 1966, Stotz himself has led the rehabilitation. Among other extensive modifications, a storefront had added to the house. In 1953, the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares for ...

installed a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

noting the historic importance of the building. In 1959, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission assumed control of the house and supervised restoration of its eighteenth-century design. They installed furnishings of that time in Pennsylvania that they felt reflected Bradford's place in society. A management agreement was signed in 1982, turning the management of the Bradford House over to the Bradford House Historical Association. The museum is open from early May through mid December, giving group tours and hosting other special events. The home was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1973 and was declared a

in 1983. It is also designated as a historic public landmark by the

Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation is a Non-profit organization, non-profit educational institution in Washington, Pennsylvania. Its purpose is to encourage and assist the preservation of historic structures in Washington County, Pen ...

References

External links

*Official site
The Bradford House OnlineBradford House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, David, House National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Museums in Washington County, Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1788 Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Houses in Washington County, Pennsylvania Whiskey Rebellion Washington, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state historical marker significations 1788 establishments in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Pennsylvania

History

See also

References

External links