Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 18, 2009



The Joseph Priestley House was the American home of 18th-century British theologian, dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, educator, and political theorist Joseph Priestley from 1798 until his death in 1804. Located in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, the house, which was designed by Priestley's wife Mary, is Georgian with Federalist accents. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has operated it as a museum dedicated to Joseph Priestley since 1970, but may close it by 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. In the 1960s, the house was carefully restored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and designated a National Historic Landmark. A second renovation was undertaken in the 1990s to return the home to the way it looked during Priestley's time. (more...)

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