About Us
Harriton House and Park, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, are what remains of a 700-acre land grant from William Penn to Rowland Ellis in 1681. This property, among the oldest on the “Main Line” west of Philadelphia, is the original Bryn Mawr.
The most renowned resident was Charles Thomson, a true founding father, who served for 15 years as secretary to the First and Second Continental Congresses and the Confederation Congress, the governing body of the United States from 1781 to 1789 under the Articles of Confederation
The Harriton site consists of 13 acres of parkland, a historic house, built in 1704, and two barns. One barn has been remodeled as an education center. The other houses a small herd of farm animals. Operated as a public park, the land and historic house are owned by Lower Merion Township and administered by The Harriton Association
The Association offers tours, educational opportunities, and public programs focused on the uses of the property over 300 years and the lives of its various owners, Rowland Ellis, Richard Harrison, Charles Thomson, and his wife Hannah Harrison Thomson.
Farm animals, including goats, chickens, and sheep, represent some of the activities that took place historically on the property. The wooded area below Harriton House between the meadow and Harriton Road is supported by the Friends of the Harriton Preserve.