Priestley House Reopens For Weekend Tours

The Joseph Priestley House, in Northumberland, Pa., will reopen for tours beginning on Saturday, Oct. 3, and will hold a grand reopening on Sunday, Nov. 1. The site, which consists of the U.S. home and laboratory of English scientist Joseph Priestley (1733–1804), has been closed since mid-August due to Pennsylvania’s budget emergency, which forced the furlough of the museum’s paid staff and nearly caused permanent closing of the museum.

Volunteers from the Friends of the Joseph Priestley House are now leading weekend tours for the public. The site will be open weekend afternoons in October and November. Operating hours will be noon to 4 PM, with tours at 1, 2, and 3 PM. Special arrangements for group tours on weekdays can be made with two weeks’ notice. For information, go online to joseph priestleyhouse.org.

The Friends of Joseph Priestley House is a not-for-profit group established in partnership with the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, which owns the site. The friends’ goals are to promote interest in Priestley and his work and to research and restore the Joseph Priestley House.