North America/United States of America/Pennsylvania/Northumberland/Joseph Priestley House/

Joseph Priestley House

• Location & Contact Information
  • Address: 472 Priestley Avenue Northumberland PA USA 17857
  • Telephone Number: +1-570-473-9474
  • Official Website: [1]
• Overview

Joseph Priestley House was the American home of 18th-century British theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher (and discoverer of oxygen), educator, and political theorist Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) from 1798 until his death. Located in Georgian with Federalist accents. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has operated it as a museum dedicated to Joseph Priestley since 1970, but may close it in July 2009 due to low visitation and budget cuts.Fleeing religious persecution and political turmoil in Britain, the Priestleys emigrated to the United States in 1794 seeking a peaceful life. Hoping to avoid the political troubles that had plagued them in Britain and the problems of urban life they saw in the United States, the Priestleys built a house in rural Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, political disputes and family troubles dogged Priestley during the last ten years of his life. After the Priestleys died, their home remained in private hands until the turn of the 20th century, when George Gilbert Pond, a professor from what is now Pennsylvania State University, bought it and attempted to found the first Priestley museum. He died before he could complete the project and it was not until the 1960s that the house was first carefully restored by the PHMC and designated a National Historic Landmark. A second renovation was undertaken in the 1990s to return the home to the way it looked during Priestleys time. The home has been a frequent place of celebration for the American Chemical Society; they commemorated the centennial and bicentennial of the discovery of oxygen gas by Priestley as well as the 250th anniversary of Priestleys birth.