Northumberland in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Joseph Priestley House

Northumberland, Pennsylvania 1798

— National Historic Chemical Landmark —

Joseph Priestley House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 10, 2021

1. Joseph Priestley House Marker

Inscription. Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) — Unitarian minister, teacher, author, natural philosopher, discoverer of oxygen, and friend of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson — supervised the construction of this house and laboratory from 1794 to 1798, then lived and worked here until his death in 1804. His library of some 1,600 volumes and his chemical laboratory, where he first isolated carbon monoxide, were probably the best in the country at that time. As suggested by Edgar Fahs Smith in 1920, the Joseph Priestley House has become "a Mecca for all who would look back to the beginnings of chemical research" in America.

Erected 1994 by American Chemical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #03 Thomas Jefferson, and the Unitarian Universalism (UUism) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1794.

Location. 40° 53.434′ N, 76° 47.374′ W. Marker is in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, in Northumberland County. It can be reached from the intersection of Priestley Avenue and Hanover Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 472 Priestley Ave, Northumberland PA 17857, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region

and in the Susquehanna Valley.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: American Chemical Society / Joseph Priestley (here, next to this marker); Joseph Priestley Museum (here, next to this marker); Joseph Priestley (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Joseph Priestley House (within shouting distance of this marker); Joseph Priestley Memorial Chapel (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Old Log House (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Priestley-Forsyth Memorial Library (approx. ¼ mile away); Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northumberland.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 10, 2021

2. Joseph Priestley House Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 388 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 11, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.