Pennsylvania Antiques Show 2026

16 H I STOR I C TR APPE Visitors to the Pennsylvania Antiques Show are encouraged to visit the Speaker’s House at Historic Trappe, located just a short drive from the Valley Forge Casino Resort. Built in 1763, the house was the home of Frederick Muhlenberg from 1781 to 1791. Born to Lutheran minister Henry Muhlenberg and his wife Mary, Frederick Muhlenberg emerged as one of the most important political leaders of the early republic. He served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, member of the Continental Congress, chair of Pennsylvania’s convention to ratify the Constitution, and the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. As Speaker, he was also the first signer of the Bill of Rights. For more than two decades, the Speaker’s House has been the focus of a remarkable community-led preservation effort. In 2001, the building faced imminent demolition and was slated for redevelopment as a commercial property. Local citizens rallied to save the house, raising funds to purchase the site and prevent its destruction. Their efforts ultimately led to the creation of Historic Trappe, which now stewards the property and shares its history with the public. This month, after more than twenty years of careful restoration, the Speaker’s House opened to the public for the first time. The restored house allows visitors to experience the home of Frederick Muhlenberg at the moment the United States was taking shape as a new nation. Period furniture, portraits, and other furnishings are being installed in the house to help evoke the world of the Muhlenberg family and the broader political and cultural life of the late eighteenth century. TH E S P E A K E R ’ S HOU S E : H I S TO R I C P R E S E RVAT I ON I N AC T I ON Home of Freder i ck Muhl enberg , Fi rst Speaker of the U. S . House of Representat ives Fig. 1: The Speaker’s House, home of Frederick and Catharine Muhlenberg, Trappe, PA.