The Priestley-Forsyth Memorial Library, also known as the Dr. Joseph Priestley House or Cross Keys Inn, in
Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,804 at the 2010 census.
History
A brewer named Reuben Haines, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded the town of Northumberland in ...
, 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 1981.
History and architectural features
This historic library building was originally erected and operated as an inn in 1820. It was purchased circa 1880 by the theologian and scientist
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted exp ...
's great-grandson, Dr. Joseph Priestley, who used it as a home and medical office. It was converted into a public library circa 1925.
It is located at 100 King Street in Northumberland, at the corner of Front Street (
Route 11). It is within the
Northumberland Historic District
The Northumberland Historic District is a historic district listed in the US government's National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The "gem" of the district is a National Historic Landmark, the Joseph Priestley House. It includes one othe ...
, which also includes the
Joseph Priestley House
The Joseph Priestley House was the American home of 18th-century British theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher (and discoverer of oxygen), educator, and political theorist Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) from 1798 until his death. ...
.
References
External links
*Official site
Priestley-Forsyth Memorial Library*Original application for National Register of Historic Places: []
{{Registered Historic Places
Hotel buildings completed in 1820
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Houses in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Libraries in Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania