Tours
2nd Sunday of Every Month
12pm - 3pm
Download the March 2022 Newsletter
Spring 2023 newsletter coming soon!
Craven Hall and the John Fitch Steamboat Museum is open for house tours. Please visit us on the second Sunday of every month.
Are you interested in hosting a presentation at Craven Hall and the John Fitch Steamboat Museum? We would be thrilled to have you!
Please send an email to boardofdirectors@craven-hall.org
Our annual Crooked Billet 5K Race & Fun Run will take place on Saturday, October 21! Registration is now open.
Craven Hall is a stately Federal/Greek Revival home built in stages between 1790 and 1845 and serves as the headquarters of the Craven Hall Historical Society, Inc. The house is located on a ¾ acre plot at the southeast corner of Street and Newtown Roads in Warminster, PA. Craven Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
An adjacent 1920’s era carriage house/garage on the property houses the John Fitch Steamboat Museum dedicated to the inventor of the world’s first commercial steamboat in 1790.
The Craven Hall Historical Society, Inc. owns and operates Craven Hall, The John Fitch Steamboat Museum and the nearby Craven/Vansant Burying Ground. The Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to providing education programs and conducting events to highlight late 18th and early 19th century life in this history-rich area of Bucks County, PA.
John Fitch, a native of Windsor, Conn. born in 1743, was a mechanical genius whose patience and perseverance overcame incredible obstacles in conceiving, building and operating the world’s first commercial steamboat. It traveled nearly three thousand miles on the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Trenton in 1790, but failed to attract the financial backing he needed to succeed. His was a technological breakthrough that was ahead of its time.
To discover more about his fascinating life and achievements, click here.
Our library contains books, records, diaries, and more dating back to the mid-18th century. If you are interested in learning more about our library and archives, please contact us today or stop by Craven Hall. We are open on the second Sunday of every month!