The Moore-Irwin House

The Moore-Irwin house is a multipart mansion owned by Upper Merion Township and is surrounded by the beautiful Silas Burgess Arboretum and Trout Creek.

The house began as a log dwelling built in the mid-1700s by John and Jane Moore. In this early form, it was used as General Muhlenberg’s quarters during the Valley Forge encampment 1777-78, and was visited by George Washington and Gouverneur Morris while the two were on break from the Constitutional Convention in 1787 in Philadelphia.  Around 1810 and again in 1820, Richard Moore (John and Jane’s son) put stone additions on the house.  The house remained in this configuration until it was purchased in 1918 by wealthy Philadelphian Alexander D. Irwin to use as his country home in the summer. “Winter Quarters Farm,” as it was then known, was remodeled and expanded three more times by Irwin, the last two being designed by famed Colonial Revival architect Richardson Brognard Okie in 1932 and 1944-46.

After most of the land around the house was sold to developers in the 1950s, the house became the Upper Merion Cultural Center and was used by the Parks & Rec Department as their headquarters. The house was formally purchased by Upper Merion Township in 1972 for $100,000. Unfortunately, the house had been allowed to fall into disrepair and by the early 1990s the house was left vacant.

The King of Prussia Historical Society is currently working on ways to save this unique and beautiful house so that it can once again be used and enjoyed by the citizens of the township.

More In-Depth Information:

History of the House Part 1: The Moores (pdf)

History of the House Part 2: Irwin, Okie and After (pdf)

GoFundMe to pay for professionals to establish the actual age of the oldest part of the house.

April 12, 2024 presentation on the early history of the house: