The Baldwin-Reynolds House

The Baldwin-Reynolds House: A Historic Home in Meadville, PA

We mentioned the Baldwin-Reynolds House in our last article and promised you more information about this amazing historic home! Here's our in-depth look at one of Meadville's greatest treasures!

The beautiful dining room

This gorgeous wallpaper was imported from Belgium.

Construction of the home began in 1842, and in 1843, Henry Baldwin, a United States Supreme Court Justice, and his wife Sally, moved into their gorgeous new home. The home was designed after a Southern plantation Greek-Revival home in Tennessee, known as "Hunter Hill," which Henry had taken a liking to while visiting. Less than a year after moving in, however, Henry passed away, and Sally leased the home to the Meadville Female Seminary for a finishing school for girls.

The finishing school did not last long, though, and in 1847 Sally deeded the property to her nephew, William Reynolds. William and his wife Julia moved in and spent the next years remodeling and adding to the home. Their youngest son John and his wife Katherine were the last to live in the house, and in 1963, the Crawford County Historical Society purchased the home to be used as a museum. Many of the original contents of the home were auctioned off prior to the Historical Society's acquiring the home, but many of those items have since been graciously donated back to the Historical Society to be used in their displays.

Family portraits play a big role in the decor throughout the house.

A view from the front room to the back room

The dress on display here is the same dress Mrs. Reynolds wore in her portrait, which you can see on the left-hand side, behind the dress.

We LOVE the open floor plan in this part of the house, as you can stand in the sitting room, look through the next room, and into the law library.

Beautiful open concept in this part of the house!

Law Library

Many of the books on display in the law library are, naturally, books on law. I would be interested to see how much has changed since Mr. Baldwin's day.

Furniture fit for a princess!

Looking from the first floor up to the third floor.

This ornate clock caught my eye

Sunroom

This bright, sunny room was perfect for entertaining guests or enjoying the view of nature without the bother of pesky bugs. I can easily see myself curled up with a good book on a rainy day!

A small sleigh, because, winter...

Bed in the servants' quarters in the basement

Even the ice house is beautiful!

This ice house is prettier than many of today's homes! Large chunks of ice were stored in here, with sawdust packed around it.

Dr. Mosier's bookshelf

Billy, the resident skeleton

Our final stop on our tour of the estate was at the office of Dr. J. R. Mosier. Dr. Mosier passed away suddenly and for decades his office was left untouched. Years later it was moved from its original location to the property of the Baldwin-Reynolds House. Today it sits exactly as it was when Dr. Mosier last set foot in it. The calendar is open to the year, month, and day; all wall decor hangs exactly where it was in his day; his books, medical equipment, and magazines in the waiting area all lay exactly where they were found. His book-keeping gave us some insight into the types of payment he accepted - everything from currency to sacks of flour and live chickens.

We are especially thrilled that we had a chance to explore Dr. Mosier's office. This was a first for both of us, and an absolute delight!

Dr. Mosier's syringe

We highly recommend a stop at the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum. It is open from June to August for general tours. Tours start at noon, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00, Wednesday through Sunday. If you are in Meadville during the Christmas season, call about a tour to see the Trees of Christmas display!

No admission fee is charged, but please consider donating so that this wonderful non-profit organization can continue to keep the museum open.

Location: 639 Terrace Street, Meadville

Many, many thanks to Cheryl from the Crawford County Historical Society for answering our many questions, for offering us an excellent tour of the house and the doctor's office, and for allowing us to photograph this beautiful historic home! We had a great time!