The Robert Fulton Birthplace is a historic house museum at 1932 Robert Fulton Highway (U.S. Route 222) south of Quarryville, Pennsylvania. Built in the mid-18th century and reconstructed after a fire demolished it in 1822, it was the birthplace of inventor Robert Fulton (1765–1815). Fulton is best known for the development of commercially viable steamboats as a means of transportation. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[3][4] The property is owned by the Southern Lancaster Historical Society which gives weekend tours of the house from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Robert Fulton Birthplace | |
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| Location | 1932 Robert Fulton Hwy, south of Quarryville, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°48′17″N 76°9′37″W / 39.80472°N 76.16028°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1765 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000670[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 29, 1964[3] |
| Designated PHMC | 1978[2] |
Description and history
editThe Robert Fulton Birthplace is located about 7 miles (11 km) south of Quarryville in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on the west side of US 222 near its junction with Swift Road. The house is a 2+1⁄2-story stone structure, built out of mortared rubblestone that was once covered in stucco. Its front facade is three bays wide, with the main entrance in the right bay, in a recess with a four-light transom window. There are two windows to its left, and two windows on the second floor above. The interior has a parlor, kitchen, and bedroom on the ground floor, with three more bedrooms in the second floor and attic.[4]
The house in which Robert Fulton was born was probably built in the mid-18th century. He was born here in 1765, but the family moved soon thereafter to Lancaster. The house was reduced to rubble by a fire in 1822, and was completely rebuilt. It remained a private residence until it was acquired by the state in 1969. It was then given a complete restoration to return it to its original appearance at the time of Fulton's birth, and has been open as a museum property since.[4]
Fulton's development of a viable steamship, the North River Steamboat or "Clermont", in 1807, is widely regarded as introducing a transportation revolution into early 19th-century America. It was not the only invention of Fulton's that was significant: he also developed dredging equipment for use in rivers and canals, invented a system of inclined planes for transporting canal barges over hills, and developed early versions of torpedoes and diving boats.[4]
Gallery
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ a b "Robert Fulton Birthplace". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Richard E. Greenwood (c. 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Robert Fulton Birthplace" (pdf). National Park Service.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) and Accompanying 4 photos, exterior, from 1963, 1972, and 1974. (1.67 MB)
External links
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