123 W Diamond St, Butler, PA 16001
Built by Butler’s only United States senator, Walter Lowrie, in 1828, this is the last remaining house of its type in the Butler area. A listing on the National Register of Historic Places has recognized its historical and architectural significance. Lowrie and his wife Amelia occupied the spacious brick house when Congress was in recess during Washington D.C.’s suffocating summers. Walter Lowrie sold the house in 1836 to local attorney, George Washington Smith, who lived in the house for three years. He later sold the house and grounds to Charles Craven Sullivan in 1839. The house and its furnishings were bequeathed to the Society in 1986, by Isabelle Shaw, a descendent of Charles Sullivan.
Major restoration projects have been completed, both structural and decorative. Furnishings have been returned to their appropriate rooms, the original Wilton wall-to-wall carpet has been recreated, and the house has been returned to its splendor of the late 19th century.
The office, gift shop, and research library of the Butler County Historical Society is now located in this building. It also functions as a house museum that is open for tours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please call ahead to make special arrangements for tours outside of these designated times. If you come without a booked appointment during non-business hours, we cannot guarantee you will be given a tour.
Admission: $5.00 per person, $4.00 for Seniors or Military personnel (with valid identification), and free for children under 5 and Butler County Historical Society members. All children under 5 must be at a ratio of 1 adult per 3 children!
The office, gift shop, and research library of the Butler County Historical Society is now located in this building. It also functions as a house museum that is open for tours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please call ahead to make special arrangements for tours outside of these designated times. If you come without a booked appointment during non-business hours, we cannot guarantee you will be given a tour.
Admission: $5.00 per person, $4.00 for Seniors or Military personnel (with valid identification), and free for children under 5 and Butler County Historical Society members. All children under 5 must be at a ratio of 1 adult per 3 children!