Travel Log - Fort Hunter Mansion and Park

Victorian addition added to the front of the original stone home

What we thought would probably be a 30 minute tour of an historical home turned out to be something else entirely.  We got totally sucked back in time with this visit. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the two families who owned Fort Hunter mansion and the history surrounding it.

Original stone house behind the three story addition

The entrance was originally on this side of the stone home

The original home was a two story stone building with a root cellar beneath.  It was built by a Civil War hero, McAllister.  He was a widower who married a widow and together they had six children who they raised in the stone home.  We were told by the guide that the family of eight all slept in one room.  It's a long narrow room with windows on both sides.  The family ran an outpost for travellers going West.  The house sits right along side of the Susquehanna River and has spectacular views from the back side of the original home.

Patio on the river side of the original stone home that faces the river

View of the Sequehanna River from the ground floor patio

The family prospered and they built a large addition on to the existing home.  Whereas the original home had low ceilings and is very colonial in style, the addition is obviously influenced by the victorian style with high ceilings, wallpaper and other grand furnishings.

Grand staircase in the entrance of the addition

Original kitchen.  Newer kitchen added to second floor later

As some point the McAllisters suffered financial losses and sold Ft. Hunter to the Boas family as a summer home.  They added an inside kitchen addition to the back of the house.  They gave the home and property to their grown daughter Helen and her husband for their full time residence and they lived there the remainder of their lives.

This was the original entrance to the stone home before the addition

Helen never had any children so her nine nephews and nieces inherited the property.  A niece, Margaret Meigs assumed leadership in making sure the property was preserved.  She formed a foundation that runs still today.

People were standing in the river fishing the day we visited.

To properly tour the home and property you need a couple of hours.  We thoroughly enjoyed our trip back in time and high recommend a stop at this historical site.