Pennsylvania House Museum

Built in 1839, the Pennsylvania House was a popular and respected inn along the National Road. The 7000 square foot Federal-style structure was built using tenon and mortise construction. The Pennsylvania House has been included on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973. The first floor houses one of America's finest button collections. A gift of Lagonda Chapter member Grace Porter upon her death in 1948, the collection of 100,000 buttons offers a historic showcase of one of fashion's favorite forms of adornment and status. The recent restoration saw the re-interpretation of several rooms to reflect the house's use and function as an inn and tavern from 1839 to 1869. This can be seen in the recreation of the tap room, general store, ladies parlor or formal dining room, and the drovers' room. The first floor assembly room offers a pictorial timeline showing the house's place within local and national history. It is accompanied by a display of artifacts from the entire lifespan of the house discovered during the basement's excavation. The second floor children's room spotlights a fully furnished, twelve-room Federal dollhouse donated by Lagonda Chapter member Ruth Bayley. It contains period furniture in black walnut and cherry handcrafted by John Kunkel. In the 1870s, Drs. Samuel and Ada Adams rented space in the house for their joint medical practice. A second floor room in the 1850s wing has been furnished with medical equipment of the period including Dr. Samuel Adams' electroschock therapy kit.