The Pennsylvania House Museum

The 7,000 ft.² Pennsylvania House Museum had many roles, once a local tavern, a boarding house, a general store, a doctor’s clinic and secondhand shop before falling into disrepair, The daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) decided to restore the dilapidated building, to make it into a house museum in 1939. The museum today is setup as a federal style, three story house, furnished with 19th-century furnishings and artifacts, which were discovered in basement excavations, and donated by previous families who once lived in the area. The museum is a landmark to signify the ending point of the old national road, considered the first American interstate highway, which was once a well traveled road by wagons, and people on foot who headed westwards
The tour proceeded downstairs, once again, and an explanation was given on the huge wall map, that showed the route of the first built international highway. This display was part of the room’s dividing wall panel that divided the long, narrow room into two sections. The first part of this timeline took place on the eastern side of the room, which depicted the first American interstate highway. The beautiful exhibits, viewed both right and left, was accessed by a meandering pathway. Highlighted was the road and railroad’s development, which included machinery and tools complemented by well displayed cardboard, cutouts of people and animals, working along the route. The display was very effective. This section of the timeline ended with a short video before we entered into a large room that resembled a laboratory. This theme indicated the early inventions of renowned inhabitants of Springfield. After transitioning through a narrow bypass, a huge room exhibited an enormous array of machinery and equipment, once popular, and used in Springfield. They were clearly labelled on white board, and for some displays, explanations further elaborated the history. There was also a display of silk flowers in a greenhouse that signified Springfield’s history in the florist trade. The tour then continued on the other side of the divided long room. Again, the effective use of center and side cardboard panels depicted the newer developments in Springfield before its eventual decline. In contrast to the Pennsylvania House, the tour was far less interactive as we were not encouraged to take part in questioning and answering sessions along the