Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum

United States Supreme Court Justice Henry Baldwin built this house in 1843 as a retirement home. Unfortunately, he died during a trip to Philadelphia in 1844. His wife, Sally, leased the house and grounds to the Meadville Female Seminary for a period of three years.

At the end of the lease the property was purchased by William Reynolds. In 1846 the Reynolds family moved in. Reynolds was a lawyer, businessman, first Mayor of Meadville and President of the Atlantic & Great Western Railway. Reynolds made many changes to the house during the time he and his family lived there.

William Reynolds died on January 11, 1911 and his wife, Julia, died eight days later on January 19. Reynolds' elder son, Henry, had died in 1908 so the house passed to the younger son, John Earle Reynolds. John Earle died in 1947 and his wife lived in the house until her death in 1963. After her death the house was purchased by the the Crawford County Historical Society who has maintainted the house since that time as a muesum.

 

Owners of the House

Supreme Court Justice Henry Baldwin

William Reynolds

John Earle Reynolds

Information from "The Baldwin-Reynold House" by Emily Smith Rankin, 1974, Crawford County Historical Society, Meadville, PA