Renovation Of 1816 House Continues At Valley Forge Park

VALLEY FORGE, PA —Despite the pandemic, millions of visitors from around the world are visiting historic Valley Forge Park in Montgomery and Chester counties.

The park has 30 miles of trails around the Schuylkill River and has an average of 2.4 million annual visitors.

Behind the scenes, Valley Forge Park Alliance is working on adding a new attraction, across the street from the Washington Memorial Chapel on Route 23.

The historic Maurice Stephens House, dating back to 1816, will be renovated and used as the Valley Forge Park Alliance Headquarters and Cafe on the Grand Parade.

The grand parade is where the men of George Washington’s Continental Army trained during the winter encampment in 1777-1778. The house provides a panoramic view of the park.

The local catering company Aneu Kitchen, will operate the cafe. The cafe is expected to serve juices, smoothies, ice cream and more.

Construction is expected to begin in the fall. The plan calls for constructing restrooms, ramps and a deck for outdoor seating.

The alliance, a nonprofit facilitating programs for park funding, is in the midst of a capital campaign to raise $980,000 for the project.

The house sits at the bottom of a hill where Brigadier General Jedediah Huntington was encamped with his troops.

It was later used as a park ranger’s house, but has been vacant since the 1990s.

The new Alliance Center will be more than a mile from the park’s Visitor’s Center, which has a museum, movie theater, gift store, and restrooms.

More information on the Maurice Stephens House project is available here.