The Henry Antes 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 ...

in Upper Frederick Township Montgomery County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Built in 1736 by

Henry Antes Henry Antes (1701–July 20, 1755) was an early 18th-century settler of Pennsylvania, an architect and builder and a leader of the Congregation of God in the Spirit and then the Moravian Church. He is considered one of the most important religious ...

, it is a particularly high-quality example of a Moravian settlement house, with intact original interior finishes. It 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 1992, and and is now operated as a museum by Goschenhoppen Historians, a local preservation group.

Description

The Henry Antes House stands in a rural setting, roughly midway between Pottstown and Perkiomenville on the south side of Colonial Road a short way east of its crossing of Swamp Creek. It is a two-story structure, built out of local rubblestone and covered by a gabled roof. It is two bays wide and one deep, with the entrance in the leftmost bay of the front facade. Ground-floor openings for doors and windows are topped by segmented-arch stone headers, while those on the second floor are butted against the eaves on the long sides and topped by arches on the short sides. Small windows in the gable ends also have arched tops. The roof is made of wooden shingles.

History

The house was designed and built by

in 1736. It stands today as an example of Moravian settlement houses, in particular of a German three-room plan house. The house is unusual because so much of its original interior finish, including ceilings and board partition walls, have survived. Henry Antes, while largely unknown now, was an important regional religious and political figure of the 18th century, and one of the region's best-known master builders. In 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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the house served as headquarters for General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, September 23 to 26, 1777, during the

Philadelphia Campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to dra ...

. Henry's son, Colonel Philip Frederick Antes (1730–1801), was an officer in the 6th Philadelphia Militia.To George Washington from Brigadier General John Lacey, Jr., 3 March 1778
from the National Archives. Dutch door Antes Montco PA

It is now owned by the Goschenhoppen Historians, who restored the house and operate it as a museum, offering tours by appointment.

References

External links

Antes PlantationUpper Frederick Photo GalleryHenry Antes House tour, Frederick, PA
video 1:39
Henry Antes House
on Archipedia
Photos of Henry Antes HouseListing and drawings
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antes, Henry, House National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1736 Museums in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Houses in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania 1736 establishments in Pennsylvania Upper Frederick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Historic House Museums of the Pennsylvania Germans

Description

History

See also

References

External links