Priestley House has aged well over last two centuries

Story by Anna Wiest

The Joseph Priestley House, located in Northumberland is recognized internationally as a treasure of history. The house was built between 1794 and 1798. After being “burned out of England,” Priestley and his wife chose to settle in this area, partially because their sons had already settled here to work in the land speculation business, according to Steven Klinger, a volunteer at the site. Mary Priestley designed the house which was an uncommon thing for women to do in the 18th century. She also oversaw the construction. Sadly, Mary was never able to live in the house as she passed away before it was finished four years and $25,000 later. According to Murrie Zlotziver, the Operations Manager of the Joseph Priestley House, it was the most expensive house in Northumberland at the time.

The first floor laboratory was very important to Priestley. “The lab was the first room built,” Klinger said. “I think that goes to show the importance to him of having his laboratory.” According to Zlotziver, it is believed there were once stairs that went directly from the lab to the bedroom. This lab is where Joseph Priestley isolated carbon monoxide.

The other room on the first floor that was very important to Priestley, according to Zlotziver, was the library. Priestley’s collection of books was one of the largest home libraries in America at the time, he said. Today, the library is displayed as it is believed to have been used during Priestley’s final years since he was too ill to go upstairs. Zlotziver, said Priestley, actually lived in the library.

The drawing room, also on the first floor overlooking the river, is where Priestley taught and conducted ministries. It was also used by his son for his land speculation business, according to Klinger. Currently displayed in this room is Priestley’s microscope with ivory slides.

Also located on the ground level are the kitchen and summer kitchen. The original kitchen was damaged in 1866 when the engine of the Northumberland No. 9 blew up on the railroad behind the house. The room was then redone by new owners. The adjacent summer kitchen originally had an outdoor oven. Today, the room maintains its slanted floor which aided in the cleaning process. The original well also remains in the summer kitchen. Standing above it, one can see the water that lies below.

What was originally a pantry is now referred to as the “children’s room.” This small room currently has several displays: one of teaching tools, another of games and toys, and one of women’s crafts, all from the time period that the Priestleys would have lived in the home.

The final room on the ground floor is the dining room. According to Zlotziver, the dishes displayed on the table in this room are similar to the ones Priestley would have used. Also shown in the room are broken pieces of plates that were found during an excavation, believed to have been from Priestley’s time, Klinger said. The dining room also displays Priestley’s clock which was functioning until about 2003.

The staircase that takes visitors from the first floor to the second was built in Philadelphia and transported to Northumberland by wagon before it was set in the house. “The reason for this was that there were not skilledenough carpenters in the area to build it at the time,”

Zlotziver said.

On the second floor is the bedroom of Elizabeth Ryland Priestley, Joseph Priestley’s daughter-in-law. Klinger explained that, at the time, the first floor was considered as space for men, so Elizabeth Priestley spent a lot of time in her bedroom. “She taught her children here. She wrote articles for the local paper, which is something women at the time did not really do,” Zlotziver said. “She would even entertain guests by the window overlooking the river.” Also located in that room is a French clock this is believed to have been a gift from General Lafayette.

The other rooms on the second floor were once used as bedrooms, but are now used for research and storage at the site.

On the third floor, which is not shown during visitor tours, are three bedrooms that were used for servants as well as the entryway to the widow’s walk.

A separate brick building on the property, the Pond building, was built by Penn State University when it owned the house. The university built the structure to house artifacts and files in a fireproof building, according to Zlotziver. The building is now used for demonstrations.

Zlotziver said the team at the house continues to make improvements and is looking forward to opening for the season. “We are expecting new outdoor panels soon, hopefully by our opening in March,” he said. “We open March 12, which is traditional, to celebrate Priestley’s birthday and charter day. The house will be open that day for free self-guided tours.

As for the continued maintenance and updates to the centuries-old property, Zlotziver said his goal is clear. “We want to bring the house back to what it looked like when Joseph Priestley lived here,” he said.