Robert Fulton Birthplace

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Robert Fulton Birthplace
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Robert Fulton Birthplace is located in Pennsylvania
Robert Fulton Birthplace
Location1932 Robert Fulton Hwy, south of Quarryville, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°48′17″N 76°9′37″W / 39.80472°N 76.16028°W / 39.80472; -76.16028Coordinates: 39°48′17″N 76°9′37″W / 39.80472°N 76.16028°W / 39.80472; -76.16028
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1765
NRHP reference No.66000670[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLJanuary 29, 1964[3]
Designated PHMC1978[2]

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.

Description and history[]

The 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[]

  • Robert Fulton Birthplace.jpg
  • Robert Fulton Birthplace (2902423285).jpg
  • Robert Fulton Birthplace (2902424303).jpg
  • Robert Fulton Birthplace (2903265468).jpg

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Robert Fulton Birthplace". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
  4. ^ a b c d Richard E. Greenwood (1974(?)). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Robert Fulton Birthplace" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help) and Accompanying 4 photos, exterior, from 1963, 1972, and 1974. (1.67 MB)

External links[]

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