Friendship Hill was the home of early American politician and statesman

Albert Gallatin Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan–American politician, diplomat, ethnologist and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years o ...

(1761–1849). Gallatin was a U.S. Congressman, the longest-serving

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

under two presidents, and ambassador to France and Great Britain. The house overlooks the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-c ...

near

Point Marion, Pennsylvania Point Marion is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,152 at the 2020 census, down from 1,159 at the 2010 census. It is served by the Albert Gallatin Area School District. History Point Marion is locat ...

, about south of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. It is maintained by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

as Friendship Hill National Historic Site and is open to the public.

Description

Friendship Hill is a parcel of land in size, located on the east bank of the Monongahela River between New Geneva and Point Marion in rural southwestern

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, ...

. The property's main house, also known as the Albert Gallatin House, is located atop a bluff that is the high point of the property. The house is made up of seven sections. The earliest of these is the original brick house built in 1789. This structure was constructed in the

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

with a

Flemish bond Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by siz ...

. Along the north side of the brick house, a simple frame dwelling was added in 1798. The Stone House was the next structure added by Gallatin in 1823; this is a -story structure, the largest section of the total house. This was the only structure which Gallatin did not build and oversee himself. This portion was built and overseen by one of his sons, Albert Rolaz Gallatin. A stone kitchen was added in 1824, which was the last addition of the Gallatin era. The rest of the additions include a State Dining Room in 1895, a south bedroom wing completed in 1902, and the servants' quarters added in 1903. These portions were built by the later owners of the house.

History

Albert Gallatin, a native of

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, came to the United States in 1780. He became involved in real estate speculation in western Pennsylvania and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

not long afterward, and purchased the land and house that became Friendship Hill in 1788. He sold the property in 1832, settling in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His long period of public service included serving as the

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

under Presidents

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

and

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

, and as

United States Ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations we ...

. The house 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 liste ...

on January 12, 1965, and 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 ...

when the register was established on October 15, 1966, at which time the house was privately owned. The national historic site was established on November 10, 1978, and is administered under Fort Necessity National Battlefield.

Gallery

File:albertfriendship.jpg, Extended view of the structure. File:Albert's sitting room.jpg, Sitting room in the home. File:Beautiful Fields.JPG, Nearby fields

References

External links

National Park Service: Friendship Hill National Historic Site

National Historic Landmarks Program: Albert Gallatin House

County Website

Friendship Hill
listing, drawings, and photographs at the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) (Library of Congress) {{authority control Houses completed in 1789 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania National Historic Sites in Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Museums in Fayette County, Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1978 Houses in Fayette County, Pennsylvania 1789 establishments in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Description

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links