Robert Fulton Birthplace
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.
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.
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.
Gallery
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ "Robert Fulton Birthplace". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
- ^ Richard E. Greenwood (c. 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Robert Fulton Birthplace" (pdf). National Park Service.
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(help) and Accompanying 4 photos, exterior, from 1963, 1972, and 1974. (1.67 MB)