Washington's Headquarters (Valley Forge)

Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge, also known as the Isaac Potts House, is a historic house that is one of the centerpieces of Valley Forge National Historical Park in southeastern Pennsylvania. Probably built about 1773, General George Washington made his headquarters here during the encampment at Valley Forge of the Continental Army between December 1777 and June 1778. The restored building is part of the Valley Forge National Historical Park and is open to the public. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972.[2][3]

Washington's Headquarters
Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge
LocationValley Forge National Historical Park
Nearest cityValley Forge, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°6′5″N 75°27′43″W
ArchitectPotts, Isaac
Architectural styleGeorgian
Part ofValley Forge (ID66000657)
NRHP reference No.73001655
Significant dates
Washington's home1777
Added to NRHPFebruary 11, 1973[1]
Designated NHLNovember 28, 1972[2]
Designated NHLDCPJanuary 20, 1961

The house is located in Upper Merion Township.[4][5]

Description and history

Washington's Valley Forge Headquarters stands between Pennsylvania Route 23 and the Schuylkill River near the center of Valley Forge National Historical Park. It is a three-story stone structure with a full cellar, three bays wide, with a side gable roof. A single-story ell extends to the left. The main entrance is in the left-most bay, sheltered by a gabled hood. There is a secondary entrance on the right end wall. The gable ends have pent roofs below, and circular windows in the gable center.[3] The interior is decorated with period 18th-century furnishings and artifacts related to George Washington.

The house was built 1768-70 by Isaac Potts, a Quaker who operated a grist mill nearby. George Washington, and later his wife Martha as well, occupied this house from Christmas Eve 1777 until June 18, 1778. Washington conducted the army's business in an office on the ground floor during that period.[3] The house became part of a state park in 1893, which was given to the people of the United States by Pennsylvania in 1976.[6]

See also

References

Media related to Washington's Headquarters, Valley Forge at Wikimedia Commons

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Washington's Headquarters". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
  3. Charles W. Snell (1972-03-02). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Washington's Headquarters (Isaac Potts House)" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 2 photos, exterior, from 1971, and one drawing (32 KB)
  4. "Upper Merrion Township, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  5. "Township Zoning Map". Upper Merion Township. 2019-09-02. // Compare with "Valley Forge National Historic Park Map" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  6. "NHL nomination for Valley Forge" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
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