The Sale of David Bradford’s Property

The Sale of David Bradford’s Property: The Story Behind the Bradford House

The Bradford House, built in 1788 in Washington, Pennsylvania, is more than an elegant stone home, as it stands the test of time as a physical record of the consequences of the Whiskey Rebellion.

Constructed by attorney David Bradford for his wife Elizabeth, the house reflected Bradford’s status and ambition. When the rebellion collapsed in 1794, Bradford fled the country, charged with treason. His family remained behind, facing legal and financial uncertainty.

In late 1796, Elizabeth Bradford placed a newspaper advertisement offering her husband’s extensive property holdings for sale. The listing included the Bradford House, additional town lots, mills, farmland along Chartiers Creek, and hundreds of acres across Pennsylvania and Virginia. The ad described the home as “a very elegant stone house, two stories high, finished in the neatest manner.”

This sale is historically significant because it directly links the museum building to documented primary sources. It reveals how national political conflict affected real families and real property.

After passing through multiple owners, the house was preserved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and opened as a museum in 1965. In 1983, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2017, the ownership and care of the house was deeded to the Bradford House Historical Association.

Today, visitors can walk through the rooms where the consequences of rebellion, exile, and resilience played out, making the Bradford House a powerful site of American history.