Blaine House
Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Home of Gen. Ephraim Blaine, Commissary General of Revolutionary Army, stood on this site. George Washington was a guest here, Oct. 4-11, 1794, while mustering an armed force to quell Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
This site held the home of General Ephraim Blaine, who as Commissary General kept the Continental Army fed through some of the Revolution's hardest campaigns — a thankless logistical task on which victory quietly depended. Years later, in October 1794, Blaine hosted President George Washington for a week here while Washington gathered a militia army at Carlisle to march against the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. It is a rare double witness to the war for independence and the young republic's first great test of federal authority.
Why it matters
Few places connect both the winning of independence and Washington's decisive assertion that the new federal government could enforce its own laws.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Appalachian Trail Museum13.1 mi away
- Ye Olde Sulphur Spa Historical Society13.6 mi away
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Related people
- · Ephraim Blaine
- · George Washington
Related events
- · Whiskey Rebellion
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Presbyterian Church
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
Begun in 1757 and reckoned the oldest public building in Carlisle, the First Presbyterian Church grew from a congregation organized at Meeting House Springs back in 1734. Its walls witnessed history twice over: in 1774 townspeople gathered here to declare for American independence, and in 1794 President George Washington worshipped within them while rallying troops against the Whiskey Rebellion. Stone-built and enduring, it stands at the civic heart of the old frontier town.
Major Andre
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
During the Revolution, Carlisle held British prisoners of war far from the fighting on the coast. For a short time in 1776, Major John Andre and Lieutenant Despard were detained in a tavern on this site. Andre was later exchanged, returned to service, and after his involvement in Benedict Arnold's treason was captured again and executed as a spy.
James Wilson
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
James Wilson rose from a Carlisle law office to become one of the most consequential legal minds of the founding generation. As a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress he signed the Declaration of Independence, and at the Constitutional Convention he was among the principal architects of the framework that still governs the nation. He later served on the first U.S. Supreme Court.
Gen. William Irvine
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
General William Irvine came to Carlisle as an early physician before public life and war swept him up: he served in Pennsylvania's Provincial Convention, took up arms as a Revolutionary officer, and commanded the strategic western post at Fort Pitt. The house he occupied stood on this site before 1800. His path from frontier doctor to frontier general captures the versatility demanded of Revolutionary-era leaders.