Dorsey House

One of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Washington County, the stone house was built c. 1787 by Joseph and Amelia Dorsey. High on a hillside overlooking the Monongahela River, it was patterned after their former residence in Eldersville, Maryland. The Dorsey house included a parlor with paneled fireplace wall described as the finest such wall in Western Pennsylvania. The two-story four-bay dressed stone facade was accompanied by a brick wing dating from 1823. It is one of three county structures extensively described in Charles Stotz's Architectural History of Western Pennsylvania. And its classic hooded entrance is featured on the cover of Preserving Our Past: Landmark Architecture of Washington County, Pa., published by the Landmarks Foundation. Unfortunately, the house was destroyed by fire in 1993. [1975 cover and pp. 44-45 POP]