Waynesborough


Waynesborough, also known as the Gen. Anthony Wayne House, is a historic house museum at 2049 Waynesborough Road, just south of Paoli in Easttown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Built in 1724 and repeatedly enlarged, it was for many years the home of American Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. A National Historic Landmark, it is now a museum operated by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, offering tours and event rentals.

Description and history

Waynesborough is located about south of the center of Paoli, on the north side of Waynesborough Road. It is a roughly U-shaped stone structure, the main block 2-1/2 stories in height and covered by a gabled roof. It is five bays wide, with a center entrance sheltered by a gabled hood. The roof has two gabled dormers to the front and three to the rear, with two interior stone chimneys. Lower two-story wings extend toward the rear on the right side and to the left on the left side. The left wing is the oldest portion of the house.
The oldest portion of the house was built by Wayne's grandfather, Captain W.M. Wayne, in 1724. Captain Wayne's son enlarged the house in 1765 and a wing was added in 1812. It was here that Anthony Wayne was born, and it was his home for all but the last five years of his life. Wayne continued his father's farm and tannery, and became involved in the Patriot cause early in the American Revolution. He distinguished himself as a military leader in the American Revolutionary War for his brash and sometimes risky maneuvers, winning him the moniker "Mad" Anthony. He died in what is now Erie, Pennsylvania, while leading troops in the aftermath of the Northwest Indian War.
The Waynesborough property remained in the hands of Wayne's direct descendants until 1965, and was in 1980 transferred to a local preservation group. The Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks now manages the property, and offers tours from mid-March through December on Wednesday through Sunday. Andrew, Justine, Paul and Lynne Gluck have lived in and helped manage the home/tours since 2003.

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