THE IRISH-TOWNSEND HOUSE
Preserving a Piece of
New Brighton’s History
1855—
The Irish Family
Located in the Borough of New Brighton on an upper plateau overlooking downtown, the Irish-Townsend House has a rich history. The original structure was built by Lydia Irish in 1855. Lydia was the widow of William Beckford Irish, both of whom were Quakers and Abolitionists living in Lisbon, Ohio.
After William’s death, Lydia and her four sons and a daughter moved to New Brighton, where they became friends with many of the historically notable families of the town, like the Townsends, Merricks, and Stantons. Here they continued to support the abolition of slavery. Their son, Dallas, would later write about “having kept families of fugitive slaves in his garret (attic) during the day, had drawn them by night, in a closed carriage towards Canada.”
1863—
William Penn Townsend
In 1863, Lydia and her daughter Ellen were living alone in New Brighton while three of her sons were fighting with the Union Army, and a fourth was serving as a member of the Pennsylvania State House.
After deciding to sell their New Brighton home to move to Pittsburgh, Lydia wrote, “I yesterday signed the deed for my property in New Brighton to William P. Townsend. It is to be delivered on the 1st day of April. $4,000 was the most I could get for it, and no one would have given so much as William. He is making great changes there.”
William Penn Townsend was one of the owners of the Townsend Rivet and Wire Company located across the river in Fallston. He really did make “great changes” to the house — most of the elements in the house today are from his efforts. Most noticeable of those efforts seen by passerbys is the stone wall and slate sidewalk along 13th Street. William Penn died there in 1896.
1896—
Becoming the
Irish-Townsend House
Over the years, the house passed from the Townsends through many owners. The most recent owners would later make the house into four apartments. Eventually, the house had become empty for over two years and in 2020 became available for the New Brighton Historical Society to purchase and restore. After further investigation on the home’s history, we decided to officially name the home, the Irish-Townsend House.
It is an incredible opportunity to bring back this building as a focal point in the town, allowing it to become a place enjoyed by our community members for generations to come.
TODAY—
The Restoration
Since our purchase of the Irish-Townsend House in 2020, we’ve been hard at work on completing phases of its restoration. After countless hours and with the help of numerous volunteers, contractors, community members, and donors, we are proud to announce that the front porch restoration is complete. Read more about it on our blog.
In addition, our work thus far has included cleaning the house and removing all trash, uncovering original features, creating a Historical Structure Report (HSR), completing a structural and mechanical review of the house, and implementing security.