In my Waymarking travels, this house has been the most photographed and postcarded. When I searched the net for pictures of the house, I was rewarded with almost a hundred pictures, spanning 1861 all the way up to the present day. Luckily, when I visited I had the foresight to shoot this house from every angle imaginable. This picture comes from a post card I found on Ebay. This picture still has the second floor kitchen which was supposed to have been removed in 1905. However, the second floor still exists in this picture. I wonder if it was torn down, rebuilt and then removed again. I cannot figure it out. I will date this 1963 based on the growth of the shrubs and trees on the right side of the house in comparison to a verified 1960 picture which I have. Approximately fifty years has elapsed between pictures. The house as well as the grounds have undergone significant change over the years with additions being added and removed. Approximately fifty-three years elapsed between pictures. Through the years, the house has undergone significant change over the years with additions being added and removed.
The house faces due west, looking over Valley Creek across the road. I faced east with just a tinge of northeast when I took my picture, putting the house at the slightest of angles revealing a bit of the right or south side of the house. I stood about forty or so feet away. There aren't any structural changes I could find in the two pictures with regards to the house, except for the removal of the second floor of the kitchen found on the left or north side of the house. The iconic picket fence in the front has been removed in both pictures and the landscaping and a tree or two are gone as well. What I found interesting is the spot I stood to take my picture had a cannon resting upon it when the 1963 picture was snapped. I used a Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos. I visited this house on Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 3:47 P.M., EDT, & @ an altitude of 111 feet, ASL.
Naturally, a site this old and historic, especially to the cultural history of our country, is listed prominently in the American Guide Series. ....Adjacent to it near willow-fringed Valley Creek is the Washington Headquarters Building (open 9-5 daily), 0.1 m., a small two-story structure of warm gray stone erected before o1759. Above the Dutch doorway is a domed hood. Inside, the fine paneling, the wide fireplaces, the plastered and beamed kitchen, and the wrought iron hardware are in keeping with its farmhouse character. Washington held frequent candle-lit staff conferences here with Lafayette, Knox, Morgan, Wayne, Greene, Hamilton, Von Steuben, DeKalb, and Muhlenberg. The furnishings duplicate those used by Washington. --- Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State, 1940; page 409
The house is completely accessible to the public. I visited on the weekend and was surprised at how I could literally go everywhere. I ranger was on hand to answer questions as well as guard the house. The rooms are well-tended and look authentic to the 18th century. They are roped off but that does not prevent some good photo opportunities. In the back is an old springhouse as well as other out buildings. I also ran into some interpretives which help explain what went on here in 1777-8. The house is at the end of Valley Creek Road. I took Inner Line Drive going west and made a left on Valley Forge Road and traveled another 138 feet on Valley Forge Road, and made a quick right onto a NPS road which led to a parking lot located at N 40° 6.144 W 75° 27.451. From here you can visit the train station first, work your way down to this house, then see the Washington Statue. Keeping on the trail you will see some huts, a spring house, and a number of interpretives.
Washington’s Headquarters was the place where General George Washington and his staff lived and worked for the six months of the Valley Forge winter encampment. The National Park Service put some recent effort into maintaining this house. Necessary repairs were made to woodwork, doors, windows, and shutters. Plaster was repaired on the interior, outdated mechanical equipment was removed, and UV screening was replaced on the windows. The exterior and interior were painted with historic colors. Furnishings, artifacts, and exhibit items were thoroughly cleaned and then reinstalled.
and who doesn't love a god Wikipedia citation: "Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge, was in the Isaac Potts House, located at the confluence of Valley Creek with the Schuylkill River, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. General George Washington made his headquarters here during the encampment at Valley Forge of the Continental Army, during the winter and spring of 1777-1778. The restored building is part of the Valley Forge National Historical Park and is open to the public." SOURCE
"... this small house is believed to have been constructed in 1773 for Isaac Potts, operator of the family grist mill. Although some sources place the construction date as early as 1759. In 1777-8 the property was owned by Isaac but rented to his aunt, the widow Deborah Hewes, who sublet it to Washington. The General's wife Martha lived here with him during the later months of the encampment and the administrative business of the army was transacted on the first floor." SOURCE
Although the house holds individual NRHP status, it along with the other stand-alone NRHP sites are still listed as contributing. Below is the information from the Valley Forge Historic District nomination form.
Washington's headquarters meets Criterion A for association w/ American Revolution, Criterion B for association w/ George Washington & impact of encampment on military career, & Criterion C as example of 18th c. farmhouse. PA SHPO concurrence 9/16/2004 that resource contributes to national significance of Valley Forge NHP. The statue is inventoried as structure no. 108.
From the Nomination Form:
The Washington’s Headquarters/Village of Valley Forge component landscape played an integral role in supporting encampment-era activities between December 19, 1777 and June 19, 1778. This farmhouse was the headquarters of General Washington from 12/25/1777 to 6/18/1778, and was central to the encampment and the heart of its military operations. It was sublet to General & Mrs. Washington in 1777 by Deborah Hewes, who had rented the home from owner Isaac Potts. The structure is also an excellent example of small Colonial-era farmhouse. In 1976 the kitchen was restored to the encampment period.
Short Physical Description:
2-story, gable-roof, 25'6" x 30', structure with attic & cellar. 17'x16'6" shed-roof kitchen ell; 7'6" x 16'6" dog trot; and 6' x 6'6" open shed. Most wood trim/paneling original.
Long Physical Description:
N/A
My Sources
1.
NRHP Nomination Form
2.
Wikipedia
3.
Government Site
4.
American Guide Series