pennypacker mills

We have passed this site numerous times on trips to visit our daughter's family and, finally, as part of a day trip to visit sites in Montgomery County, PA, we included Pennypacker Mills. This is the home of an early 1900's PA governor, and 1. we discovered how much Gov. Pennypacker did to improve child labor and job safety laws and 2. had a great guide ...very, very knowledgeable. have visited many historic homes but saw many articles we had never seen elsewhere. Several Revolutionary war soldiers also buried on site. Great little gem. There is no fee per se but they unobtrusively ask for a $2 donation per person.

Beautiful grounds and lovely home. They give free tours, but if you are not crazy on history maybe let the staff know before the tour. I went with friends on a weekend and we were the only ones there, we really just wanted a 15 mintues tour of the home and the lady latched into us and only showed up two room and went VERY indept into the history of every. single. thing. If you like history, great, but if you just want a brief tour maybe give them a heads up! The porch is so pretty, its a great spot to sit and rock on a rocker in the summer and look out on the pretty land!

On our recent Labor Day get-away, my wife and I visited Pennypacker Mills, the summer home of Samuel W. Pennypacker, the 23rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1903 to 1907). The house is operated as a museum by Montgomery County, and both the structures and the grounds are extensive, well-kept and available for multiple public uses. The most interesting fact about the Pennypacker family is its longevity (George Washington used the house, then owned by a Pennypacker ancestor, as his headquarters in 1777) and its sense of civic duty (Governor Pennypacker was a Civil War veteran and his cousin Galusha Pennypacker was one of the youngest brigadier generals in the Union army). Also, the family was not "rich" in the sense of other Gilded Age families; rather, they were "comfortable" (meaning, essentially, upper middle class). This estate was not a Newport-type mansion, but rather a well appointed summer home, with a minimal domestic staff whose story and lifestyle are also described. Governor Pennypacker was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and an attorney and judge in Philadelphia. He was also a progressive Republican. Although he is overshadowed by other, higher profile PA politicians such as Gifford Pinchot and Boise Penrose, his single term boasted some significant achievements, including passage of the groundbreaking Child Labor Act of 1905, setting a minimum age and standard for young workers, and the establishment of the Pennsylvania State Police and the State Museum. This charming house has an advantage in that almost all of its furnishings are from the Pennypacker family, and situated as they would have been during the Governor's residence. Despite the fact that we arrived approximately ten minutes before the official 4:00 PM closing time, my wife and I were given a comprehensive tour by the curator, who was very knowledgeable and more than happy to answer our questions. I strongly recommend a visit to Pennypacker Mills for anyone interested in Pennsylvania history, the Civil War, or US history of the Teddy Roosevelt era. There is a modest suggested donation, but visitors are not forced to pay anything.

This is a little gem hidden in Schwenksville. As a history lover, it's amazing how much history one family created and passed on. I've been here to visit a few times. The curators are extremely knowledgeable and are eager to answer any questions you have. The property and contents are well maintained and it gives a nice picture of what life used to be like. It's hard to imagine that the founder of the PA State Police used to live here! There is a recommended $2 donation once you finish touring the house. The Mill has events throughout the year and are a must see for anyone. I've heard rave reviews about the Christmas get together and some of the re-enactments. There are also a number of kid friendly activities throughout the year as well. Several of these are on my agenda for this year if time permits. Look at the Montgomery County website or just search for PennyPacker online for more details and schedules.The Perkiomen trail is also nearby should you want to stop by and visit before or after a nice walk, jog or bike down the trail.

This is one of those little known historical sites that's owned by the County and does not have much funding. What is amazing is that 95% of what is there is original to the family and was documented by Governor Pennypacker. In addition to very well-guided tours (the docents are extremely knowledgeable) they also offer seasonal exhibits and many educational children's programs. They also have a "Friends group" and you must go to their craft fair which is held the 3rd week in September (September 21st, this year). While there you may also tour the mansion and get a glimpse of the upper middle class at the turn of the 20th century. It is family friendly and also handicapped friendly.

Fascinating Pennsylvania history in a home full of wonderful historical memorabilia. The curator Carl was generous with his time to explain the history of the former Governor who built the house, the house, the many artifacts, and the era.The setting is the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside but just an hour outside Philadelphia.Congratulations to Montgomery county for supporting the site.

We had a great experience here. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, We had a tremendous tour guide. The young lady was very good with her knowledge ofthe site and times. She was very friendly and accomadating, allowing us to ask all of our questions, even allowing us to see the exhibits in the barn on the site. The house is chocked full of original pieces from the Pennypacker family.(we founf this place great as we all went to an elementary school named for the Governor)Be careful of your GPS it could send you past the place.

I went to this museum for the usual sights of industrial america. While that was evident there was also a children's museum hidden in the barn. They had a low tech exhibit about the breaker boys and that was it's charm. Instead of a lot of gadjeys and buttons, there was a picture of the boys. There was paper there so that kids could write there thoughts. This was reflected in notes about sad faces and hard lives. The history was accurate and usualy not covered in schoold. Labor and Child welfare get little coverage until college. In a time when children feel the world owes them a living an exhibit like this can bring them back to earth. There was also a general store where kids could shop and see how things were done at the turn of the century. They had a carrage there and again it reflected the times and prices. Lastly there was a board from 1900 predicting 2000 and it was accurate around 405 of the time. There was also another section of the land that showed kids how laundry was done in those days. It was so labor intensive kids were taken out of school to help mom. Lastly instead of the usual parking lot to museam trip of ten steps, they had a nature walk to each part of the buildings. a nice touch in a time when more exercise is needed not less