The History and Present State of the Joseph Priestley House
[1st Feb 2010]News » The History and Present State of the Joseph Priestley House
Ron and Fran in the Priestley room at the Old Hall Heckmondwike. This was the home of Priestley’s aunt Sara
On the 28th January 2010 Ron Blatchley and his wife Fran attended the Priestley Society meeting; Ron gave a talk on Priestley House. Below are some brief details of the history of the house, as well as information about its present condition.
September 1796 Mary Priestley dies. The House is not yet completed and Mary never gets to live in the house that she planned. It is by far the grandest house in Northumberland and Joseph moves in with Joseph Jr. and family. He uses the laboratory for chemical experiments – while attempting to make carbon dioxide by a new method – discovers carbon monoxide.
February 1804 Joseph dies. Joseph Jr. and family continue to live there for several years until returning to England in 1815.
May 1815 Judge Seth Chapman buys the house for $6250 and lives there until his death in 1835. Unitarian minister Rev. James Kay then lived in the house from 1835 until his death in 1847. His wife stayed there until her death in 1850. Rev. Kay apparently did not own the house but his son Charles Kay purchased it in 1845 and owned it until 1865 he sold it to Henry R. Campbell for $2775. Campbell then sold the house to Florence Bingham for $5680 in 1868.
1830 The Pennsylvania Canal was cut through the front lawn and in 1860 the railroad was built behind the house on what is now Priestley Avenue. In 1882 the Bingham heirs sold the house for $2000 and it was sold again in 1888 for $3000.1910 The railroad company bought the house to use as a rooming house for workers at the large rail yard in Northumberland.
1919 Professor George “Swampy” Pond of The Pennsylvania State University bought the house for $6000. His intention was to dismantle the house and rebuild it on the campus of the University 60 miles away. But Pond died six months later and nobody else was ready to complete the task. Penn State continued to own the house and rented it out to various families until December 14, 1955 when they turned it over to the Borough of Northumberland. The borough in turn gave the house to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1959.
The PHMC did considerable restoration on the house and opened it as a museum continuing until summer of 2009. Rather than see the house closed, the Friends of Joseph Priestley House have entered into an agreement with the PHMC to operate the museum while the PHMC continues to own and maintain the property.
JPH was open on weekends in November and early December from 1 – 4 pm and for a Twelfth Night Observation January 3. There was a steady trickle of visitors and more than 50 people came to the January 3 event that included crafters, storytellers, a fiddler, and chemical demos in the laboratory. The house is now closed for winter and will reopen March 14 with another big event. It will remain open on weekends through to November with as many programs as the volunteer staff will support.
The PHMC continues to provide maintenance, utilities, security alarm system, and most of the insurance premiums. But no personnel. So far, there have been enough volunteers and it is hoped the pool can be maintained or increased. Participation by the community and the Susquehanna Valley Section of American Chemical Society has been steady.
Chemistry Alumni of Penn State contributed approximately $80000 a few years ago to renovate the Pond Building (A detached building adjacent to the main house, built as a secure room) into a space for meetings and exhibitions. Plans have been approved and work is to begin in March.
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