Brinton 1704 House and Historic Site

The Brinton Association of America aims to: Preserve, maintain and operate the William Brinton 1704 House, grounds, buildings and collections. Provide an interpretation of Quaker life in the Brandywine Valley during the early colonial period. Preserve and promote the history of the Brinton Family in America.

The Brinton 1704 House Museum is a restored Quaker home located in Delaware County near West Chester, Pennsylvania, and is a designated National Historic Landmark. The 1704 House is operated as a historic museum and is open for public tours on Saturdays and Sundays from May 1 to October 31.

Our historic site stands as a landmark of early Quaker life and historic preservation. The Brintons were part of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. William Brinton, Sr. (1635–1700) moved to the colony of Pennsylvania with his wife and son to escape religious persecution in England. After William “The Elder” passed, William Brinton, Jr. (1670–1751) oversaw the completion of the 1704 House, which resembles the medieval English architectural style of their family home in Staffordshire.

Generations passed and the house witnessed history around it, including the American Revolution. The family followed the pacifist tenets of the Quakers, however, and did not participate in the war. Over time, ownership of the house changed, and additions were made to keep up with contemporary trends, but the Brintons kept an interest in their ancestral home. The Brinton Family Association (now the Brinton Association of America Inc.), tasked with chronicling the family history, started its greatest endeavor–restoring the 1704 House.

The family, led by Francis and Deborah Brinton, reacquired the house and hired G. Edwin Brumbaugh, an architect well known for his work in historic preservation, to restore the house to its 18th century appearance, both inside and out. The stone walls of the House are twenty-two inches thick. The interior of the House boasts many special items, including period furniture, leaded-casement windows, and an indoor bake oven. Outside you will find a restored kitchen garden, with plants the family would have kept. You can find the house on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

The site can be appreciated for a variety of reasons. One can imagine the life of a colonial American family by stepping into a carefully preserved environment. Visitors can learn about how that family forged a life in the New World, including its Treaty of Friendship with the native Lenape Tribe. Visitors can follow the early American experience of finding a place to practice religious freedom, while a battle for independence was fought all around.