Lawnside’s Peter Mott House Underground Railroad Museum Reopens
Image of Peter Mott House in Lawnside. Photo courtesy of Lawnside Historical Museum.
AC JosepH Media
LAWNSIDE — The Lawnside Historical Society announced that the Peter Mott House Underground Railroad Museum will reopen to the public on Saturday, March 18 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The1845-era farmhouse was the home of abolitionist preacher and UGRR agents, the Rev. Peter Mott and his wife Elizabeth Ann. The society first restored the house and opened it to the public in 2001. The Mott House is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
C. Joyce Fowler, Society vice president, who has coordinated tours of the house for the past 22 years, is excited to return to a regular schedule.
“The Peter Mott House has an important story to tell of freedom, courage and American democracy,” she said.
Walk-ins are welcome on most Saturdays between noon and 3 p.m. Large and small group tours can be booked for weekdays on the Society’s website at petermotthouse.org/visit. Tour guides will conduct temperature checks and guests must wear masks while inside the house. Social distancing is also encouraged.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Guests can pay by cash, check or PayPal.
The COVID-19 pandemic and more than $101,000 of needed repair work led the Society to close the building to visitors in March 2020.
We installed a new cedar shingle roof and a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system with an air scrubber. We also repaired or replaced clapboard, windows, shutters, entry doors, and the bulkhead.
The project was funded by contributions from individuals, corporate support and grants from the New Jersey Historic Trust and the Camden County Open Space, Farmland, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. A few finishing touches remain to be done.
New technology and updated features will be introduced later in the year at a Grand Reopening.
Watch the society website and social media for updates and announcements. The Lawnside Historical Society is a membership organization that promotes and preserves the history of Lawnisde, with its roots in the freedom of enslaved people.
Lawnside is the state’s only incorporated African American municipality. To join, volunteer or make tax-deductible donations, go to https://petermotthouse.org/.
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