Buchanan House
Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
James Buchanan, lawyer, statesman, diplomat, 15th President of the U.S., born in Stony Batter, lived here 1796-1807. Sgt. Patrick Gass, carpenter for winter quarters on the Lewis & Clark expedition, 1803-06, worked here as an apprentice, 1794-95.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
This Mercersburg house holds a double thread of early American history. Here James Buchanan — later a lawyer, diplomat, and the nation's 15th president — spent part of his boyhood from 1796 to 1807 after his birth nearby at Stony Batter. And here, in 1794-95, a young Patrick Gass apprenticed as a carpenter, years before he built the winter quarters that sheltered the Lewis and Clark expedition on its journey to the Pacific.
Why it matters
Few small-town homes can claim ties to both a future president and the Corps of Discovery, linking one place to the making of the nation and its westward reach.
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Related people
- · James Buchanan
- · Patrick Gass
Related events
- · Lewis and Clark Expedition
Themes & tags
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