Pennypacker Mills Through the Ages

• 1681: William Penn established the colony of Pennsylvania and granted 1,250 acres to William Pennington.

• 1716: Pennington sold the land to Joseph Kirkbride.

• 1717: Kirkbride sold half of the land to Thomas Stevenson.

• 1718: Stevenson and Kirkbride sold 600 acres to Hans Joest Heijt.

• c. 1720: The house and gristmill were constructed.

• 1730: Heijt sold the property to Jan Pawling.

• 1733: Jan Pawling died, and the property was inherited by his son Henry.

• 1747: Peter Penebacker purchased the property and in the upcoming years added onto the house.

• 1755: Peter advertised a fulling mill on the property, which accompanied a gristmill and sawmill. The property was known as Pennypacker Mills.

• 1762: Peter sold 115 acres including the mills to Adam Prutesman.

• 1770: Peter passed away, dividing the property between his two youngest sons, William and Samuel. Samuel inherited 125 acres of the property on the east side of the Perkiomen Creek (including the house), and William received property on the west side.

• 1777: The Continental Army under General George Washington encamped at Pennypacker Mills from September 26-29, and again from October 5-8.

• 1826: Samuel passed away, leaving the property to his son, Samuel Jr.

• 1863: Samuel Jr. passed away, and the property was purchased by his son-in-law, John Detweiler, husband of Anna Pennypacker.

• 1877: On the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Germantown, a grand family reunion, spearheaded by Samuel W. Pennypacker, was held on the property.

• 1882: John Detweiler died, and the property was purchased by his son-in-law, Josiah Hunsicker, husband of Katharine Detweiler.

• 1897: The Historical Society of Montgomery County placed a stone monument honoring the Revolutionary War encampment that took place here.

• 1900: Josiah Hunsicker passed away, and—to settle his debts—his son William Hunsicker sold the property to a fourth cousin, Samuel W. Pennypacker.

• 1901: Samuel W. Pennypacker hired the landscape architect firm of Thomas Meehan & Sons to transform 15 acres into an English natural landscape.

• 1901-1902: Architect Arthur Brockie renovated and added onto the house, turning it into a summer gentleman's estate.

• 1902: Samuel W. Pennypacker spent his first summer at Pennypacker Mills. The borough of Schwenksville held a party for him when he received the nomination for governor.

• 1907: After his term as governor, Pennypacker Mills became Samuel's full-time residence.

• 1916: Samuel passed away, and his wife Virginia and four children (Josephine, Eliza, Anna Maria, and Bevan) continued to use the house as a summer retreat.

• 1932: Electricity was added to the house—10 outlets in 22 rooms.

• 1936: Samuel W. Pennypacker II and his wife, Margaret, moved into Pennypacker Mills. Samuel II was the sole grandchild of Samuel and Virginia.

• 1962: With the passing of Eliza and Josephine, Samuel II and Margaret Pennypacker became sole owners of Pennypacker Mills.

• 1968: Samuel W. Pennypacker II passed away.

• 1980: Margaret Pennypacker passed away.

• 1981: Through the will of Margaret Pennypacker, the County of Montgomery acquired the property, house, and contents. A dedication ceremony was held later that year.

• 1981-1985: Restoration work begun on the house, including installing a new shingle roof and restoring paint and stain finishes to the 1901 renovations.

• 1985: The County of Montgomery held a grand opening, and the first floor of the house was opened to the public for tours.

• 1987: The second floor was opened to the public for tours.

• 1997: Landscape restoration began with restoring the five wire fence and planting trees.

• 1999: Pannebakker Family Association held a family reunion to celebrate the 300th wedding anniversary of family ancestors Hendrick Pannebakker and Eve Umstat.

• 2008: Restoration of the barn with siding repairs and an new wood roof.

• 2010: Creation of the Friends of Pennypacker Mills, a group that supports preserving the site and public programming.

• 2012-2014: Pennypacker Mills' caretaker moves out, and the servant and kitchen areas of the house are restored and opened for tours.

• 2025: Pennypacker Mills is celebrating 40 years of being open to the public.

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