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Nemacolin Castle 136 Front Street, Browns ville PA 15417

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Nemacolin Castle

136 Front Street Brownsville, PA 15417 Phone: 724-785-6882 Region: Laurel Highlands

The Brownsville Historical Society operates historic Nemacolin Castle on Front St. in Brownsville, Pa. Come and visit us! Step back in time to America's frontier period, the trading post era of 1789, to the Colonial era of 1814, and to the Victorian era of 1850. Located just off U.S. Route 40 (locally called Market St.) in Brownsville, PA, Nemacolin Castle is also a registered Pennsylvania historic landmark. Tours of the castle interior and its spacious grounds are provided by an enthusiastic group of volunteers throughout the year.

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This Beloved Pennsylvania Resort Just Created an Over-the-top Christmas Village for Guests — With an Ice-skating Rink, Holiday Shops, and a Festive 'North Pole'

Go ahead. Treat yourself to holiday fun at Nemacolin.

Jordan Millington Liquorice

Ever wonder what it’s like to spend a few days inside a holiday snow globe? Nemacolin , the beloved resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, wants to help you find out.  The resort, one of Travel + Leisure reader’s favorite hotels in the mid-Atlantic , unveiled the magical Hardy’s Holiday Village for the very first time, which it promises to be a “never-before-seen spectacle” that will transform the resort into “a glowing winter wonderland.” 

The holiday festivities are already in full swing at the resort . It features everything from live musical performances by elves and quaint holiday shops set up just for the season to an outdoor ice skating rink as icing on this holiday cake. And, as part of the opening, on Nov. 24, guests and the Hardy family, which owns the resort, illuminated more than one million twinkling lights and gave the ultimate holiday gift when doing so — more than $7 million in charitable donations to local and national non-profit organizations. 

“Hardy’s Holiday Village is The North Pole brought to Nemacolin and an embodiment of our family’s love for the festive season,” Maggie Hardy, Nemacolin owner and CEO, shared in a statement provided to T+L. “We wanted to share the joy this season brings with our guests and members, as well as the community, by donating to organizations that share our values and support our neighbors. In true Nemacolin spirit, each day is going to be filled with endless surprises and delights. We are bringing in the best artisans from around the world for our guests and members to experience and to check off their gifting lists.”

As for the resort experience, guests can expect snow-filled walkways leading to the “North Pole” village, which the resort explained, is meant to mimic the famed holiday markets across Europe. And, naturally, Santa has set up a workshop here too, so the kids (and kids at heart) in your travel group can go and ask him to deliver whatever is on their wishlist. 

Guests can also complete all of their holiday shopping needs at Hardy’s Holiday Village, which includes shops like Hardy’s House of Ornaments, stocking all your decorating needs, PJ’s Peppermint Emporium, a candy cane shop unlike any other, Magical Maggie’s Mittens and Scarves, which sells exactly what the name describes, and Glitter Factory,  where you can find more one-of-a-kind gifts for children. 

And, come on, this is a holiday spectacular we’re talking about, so of course there are a ton of sweet treats on offer, too. That includes gingerbread houses, pastries, and Hardy’s Hot Cocoa Hideaway, which offers four types of made-to-order hot chocolate. For adults, there’s also the Egg Nog Pub, where guests can “mingle with Santa’s helpers, where elves eat and party after a day of magic making,” the hotel explained.

Adults can continue the fun at Joseph’s in The Grand Lodge for an Elf Cabaret that the hotel explained is “filled with laughter, dance, and captivating surprises.” 

Ready to experience it all? Check out all the happenings and book a stay at nemacolin.com .

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136 Front St

Brownsville, PA 15417

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I have heard of Nemacolin Castle, but had thought it was near the resort by the same name. It wasn't until I entered the address into the GPS that I learned it is located in Brownsville. Husband and I decided to visit when the Christmas tour was offered. We got a history lesson on the man who founded a trading post and built the castle. The Bowman family was quite influential in the area. It is impressive to be made aware of the history behind the family and the home. The home is managed by the historical society and volunteers. It would be great if they would get some additional funding for restoring the home. Right now, they rely on donations and admission fees to maintain the upkeep. There are areas of sagging floors and peeling wallpaper. It is fortunate that most of the furniture items were actually owned and used by the family. The piano is beautiful and one of the first to come to the area. The home was decorated for the Christmas holiday. Admission is $15 for adults and tickets may be purchased online or at the door. On busy times, I would recommend reservations. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. We were in a tour of about 18-24 people which was too large of a group. The some of the rooms were small and we were crammed in to hear the guide. Still, it was a nice way to spend a rainy Saturday before Christmas. I want to return when they have a haunted tour next fall.

See all photos from Deborah N. for Nemacolin Castle

Great place to visit for history buffs. Beautiful old home from late 1700s with original furnishings. $10 donation for a guided tour and it 20-30 minutes long. Interesting facts shared and worth the visit. Probably not a good spot to bring small children. There are many stairs. It is a bit hard to find. Keep an eye out for small signs and follow them from Market Street. Turn onto 4th Ave, then right on Brashear St. The road is a dead end, and the castle will be on your left with free parking on your right.

What a lovely evening tour at Nemacolin Castle tonight! In addition to fascinating local history, we also heard some of the haunting that have occurred here. We will definitely be back for another tour!! Our tour guide Jayden did a fantastic job and was able to answer all the questions we threw at him. What we found amazing was how much of the house and its contents were original. Local history lovers need to check this gem out!

Major miscommunication told no reservations required arrived to find out that is NOT the case. Minus a tour guide realize the staff are all volunteers they need to work on their communication skills. Not pleased

A little TLC needed

Wonderful and informative tour, knowledgeable guides (Jaden and Marie), beautiful antique furniture in excellent condition. The castle was named after the Shawnee chief, Nemacolin, who helped to improve and mark the ancient Native American trail through the Alleghenies. It provides an excellent view into three specific time periods in American history: America's frontier period and the trading post era of 1789, the Colonial era of 1814, and the Victorian era of 1850. Nemacolin Castle was built by the Jacob Bowman family in 1789 and has been owned and maintained by the Brownsville Historical Society since the early 1960's. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. If you're a history buff, a visit to Nemacolin Castle would be well worth it, but you don't have to be a history major to appreciate the house which dates back to the time when Brownsville was the "Gateway to the West". The descendants of Jacob Bowman resided in the Front Street home until the 1959 death of Leila Bowman, widow of Jacob's grandson, Charles Bowman. Mrs. Bowman wanted the house to become a museum after her death, so she left all of the original furniture, and much of the wallpaper and carpeting throughout is original as well. It really is remarkable how well preserved most of the items are, especially those that are close to or more than 200 years old. The craftsmanship of the furniture in the house is just something you don't see anymore. Again, well worth the $10.00 fee for the tour, and the volunteers who serve as tour guides are wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable and it's obvious that they take pride and truly care about preserving the castle and its colorful history.

See all photos from Jeff F. for Nemacolin Castle

Wonderful ghost tour. Met several staff members who brought up my grandmother several times( who just passed away last year). Very heartwarming experience.

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Visiting a Castle in Southwestern Pennsylvania: Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville

Sitting high atop a hill on the banks of the Monongahela River is one of the most curious buildings in the Laurel Highlands : Nemacolin Castle.

Nemacolin Castle was built in the 1780s by Jacob Bowman. Bowman, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, traveled Nemacolin’s Road, an old Native American path that was a popular route west at the time (and later would be closely followed by the National Road ), to the banks of the Monongahela River.

(Don’t confuse the castle with the nearby Nemacolin Woodlands Resort , a popular place to stay in the area.)

Bowman set up a trading post in a two-room log cabin that also served as his family home. The trading posts location along the edge of the frontier made this a popular stop for supplies and the trading of goods.

With Brownsville becoming a booming frontier outpost, business was good for the Bowman family. Over the years, Brownsville grew around them, and it outpaced Pittsburgh in both population and importance until the 1850s. In fact, it was once said, “Pittsburgh might amount to something if it wasn’t so close to Brownsville.”

Thanks both to his success and growing family, Bowman expanded his home 1815. The business continued the grow and the Bowman family’s wealth increased. After Jacob Bowman died in 1847, his son, Nelson, continued to expand the house; adding an addition in 1850 and building the stone tower in the 1870s.

The tower and the exterior of the home were designed with inspiration from Germanic castles. While the tower does give the home a castle-like appearance, it served no architectural purpose other than to showcase the wealth of the Bowman family.

Charles Bowman inherited the home in 1892 when his father, Nelson, died. Charles would expand the home a final time in 1915. This series of expansions created a house that showcases the changing architectural and design styles of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. In addition to the original log cabin, which is still the center point of the home, and the Germanic castle influences, Nemacolin Castle also showcases Edwardian, Colonial, and Victorian design.

When Charles Bowman’s wife, Leila, died in 1959, the home was turned over to the public, ending three generations and 170 years of Bowman family ownership of the home.

Today, visitors are invited to tour this fantastic castle and learn about its history, the Bowman family’s influence on the region, and the story of Brownsville.

Guided tours start in the original log cabin, which is now located in the center of the home, completely obscured by later additions to the home. The home’s original fireplace is still located in the heart of the structure.

Throughout the home, nearly all of the furniture on display belonged to the Bowman family. However, the entire home isn’t set up for the same time period. Instead, different portions of the home are displayed from the time period that the section of the home was built. This offers a fantastic opportunity to better understand how life on the Pennsylvania frontier was different from life in a bustling, industrial community in western Pennsylvania.

For me, the most interesting portions of the home were the upstairs bedrooms. In addition to showcases the differences in style over the years, these rooms were quite beautiful and showcased life in the house very well.

Not surprisingly, my favorite bedroom was the one inside the castle’s turret, which was where one of Nelson’s bachelor sons slept. Above the bedroom, at the top of the turret, was his architecture studio. Sadly, this room is one of the few in the home that is currently closed to the public.

Walking through the house, guides showcase the history of the Bowman family through pieces like the 18th century bed or the Bishop’s bedroom, which only ever slept in once. While the story of Nemacolin Castle might only center around one family, the story of the family mimics the rise of Brownsville from a small, frontier town to an important hub on the shores of the Monongahela River.

If you want to learn more about the history of southwestern Pennsylvania, and how it grew into an important industrial hub, or if you just like visiting unusual homes, you won’t want to miss Nemacolin Castle in Fayette County .

Note: My visit to Nemacolin Castle was hosted by the site. However, the opinions expressed are my own.

Want to learn more about the history of southwestern Pennsylvania? Visit Friendship Hill National Historic Site , the LeMoyne House , the Providence Meeting House Cemetery , and the Bradford House .

Nemacolin Castle

See map below for other area attractions.

Great places to stay in Fayette County

• Nemacolin Woodlands Resort - One of the top hotels in Pennsylvania.
• Connellsville Bed and Breakfast - Rated the best Bed and Breakfast in Connellsville on Trip Advisor.
• Histoic Summit Inn - A historic hotel with modern ammenities.
• Hampton Inn - Rated the best value hotels in the county on Trip Advisor.
• Find more great places to stay on Airbnb!

Click the map to see more nearby things to do

More nearby places worth exploring

How to Get to the Jumonville Cross in Fayette County, PA

How to Get to Cole Run Falls and the Barronvale Covered Bridge in Forbes State Forest

Pennsylvania Waterfalls: How to Get to Paint Falls and Little Paint Falls

Paying Your Respects at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County

Find more things to do in the laurel highlands.

Jim Cheney is the creator of UncoveringPA.com. Based in Carlisle near Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. He has also traveled to more than 30 different countries around the world.

1 thought on “Visiting a Castle in Southwestern Pennsylvania: Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville”

Kool. I’v read many writings of Washington. He certainly like carousing around this area. However his travels to Washington Pa, remain a mystery to me. Any idea when, or if he traveled there, and why? TU

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Nemacolin Castle

• 136 Front Street and Brashear Street
• P.O. Box 24
• Brownsville, PA 15417
• 724-785-6882

The castle stands at the crossroads of local, regional and national history located near several Native American villages. The octagonal tower battlements date back to the original stone house, which predates the castle. The trading post provided refuge from Indians and a stopping off point for westbound settlers.

Nemacolin Castle is the Mon Valley’s finest house museum. Offering ghost, Christmas and History tours. Click here to see our Ghost tour schedule!

• Adult Admission: $15, Child Under 12 $5
• Discounts Available: Groups

Payment Methods Accepted

• Average Tour Time: 50-60 minutes
• Group Tour Information: For groups 15 or more, please contact us for arrangements. Groups 20 or more receive a group rate.
• Max # for Group: Due to room sizes tours tours of 16 people or more will be split.
• Min # for Group: 2

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Christmas Journey Festival 2017

 Manezhnaya square - «Magical time»  

Ploshchad revolyutsii - «magical ice theater».  , pushkinskaya square – «cozy time»  , novopuskinsky square – «the gingerbread village»  , kuznetsky most - «gallery of magical fir trees»  , gogolevsky boulevard - «bethlehem star».  , tverskaya square – «european christmas fair»  , stoleshnikov lane -  «warm time»  , moscow current events.

Moscow in miniature Would you like to see the central part of the largest city model that will enter the Guinness Book of World Records? You have an excellent chance to do it till the end of 2015 in All-Russia Exhibition Centre VDNKh. We belive that an architecture model of Moscow (Moscow in miniature) performed at a scale of 1:400 is really worth seeing.

Russian Impressionism Museum Art-buffs are welcome to visit the Russian Impressionism Museum, which opened its doors in Moscow on the 28th of May. The exhibition hall is located on the grounds of the former “Bolshevik” confectionery factory grounds.

Robostation in VDNH If you are interested in everything connected with robots you should certainly attend one of the most curious interactive museum called Robostation, situated in All-Russia Exhibition Centre VDNH. Here visitors of all ages have a great chance to get acquainted with modern robots, take part in different activities, enjoy technopark, chemistry show and show of dancing robots.

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18.05.2019 — 19.05.2019 Moscow Museums Night 2019 In 2019 in Moscow Museums Night will be held on May 18. Hundreds of urban cultural spaces will be open until midnight, and some until morning. Many galleries and museums have prepared special programs with free guided tours, concerts and master classes. 2019 year in Russia has been declared as the Year of the Theater, therefore many events will be devoted to the history of the theater.

16.03.2019 — 18.08.2019 Ilya Repin exhibition All art admirers are welcome to the New Tretyakov Gallery to see a large-scale exhibition of works by Ilya Repin. He was the most renowned Russian realist artist of the 19th century.Please be aware that tickets for the exhibition can only be bought in advance and are not sold on the day of the visit at the box office.

18.01.2019 — 23.02.2019 Primeval Russia Photo Exhibition One of the most interesting photo festivals opened its doors to the visitors of all ages in CHA (Tsentralny Dom Hudozhnika). The exhibition uniting more than 500 works is devoted to Russian nature. The project “Primeval Russia” was organized by the enthusiastic photographers, documentary directors, cameramen, travelers and scientists. These talented people wanted not only to share the most fascinating views of our country and reveal some interesting facts about wild animals but also to draw visitors' attention to the main theme - relationships between man and nature.

31.10.2018 — 20.01.2019 East: Another Beauty Exhibition 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the State Museum of the Oriental Art. The State Museum of the Oriental Art is the only cultural center in Russia specializing in the storage, study and popularization of the eastern peoples' culture and art.

13.10.2018 — 14.10.2018 Moscow is behind us 1941. The military-historical festival Did you know that Borodino Field was not only the location of the Battle of Borodino during Napoleoinic Wars but also the place of a severe clash between the Soviet and German forces in 1941? Join the festival of military reconstruction where the events of the WW II will come to life.

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·About the Show·

Wonderful winter spectacular.

The Moscow State Circus returns to Birmingham this Christmas with its spectacular show, ‘Miracles’. The renowned NEC will play host to the world-famous Circus show which will run from the 20th of December to the 5th of January

‘MIRACLES’ is the perfect production to entertain families at this magical time of year, offering breath-taking performances brought to you by a wide-range of acclaimed performers.

Award-winning Clowns the Chervotkins Duo, will guide the audience through this show of “Miracles”, acts like the Roubstov Troupe, performing acrobatics, Watch them fly through the air performing an incredible selection of tricks from an incredible display of tumbling and somersaults,an exciting aerial gymnastic display. Incredible!

World class hand balancer and contortionist Vladislav Khvostik has performed in the most exclusive circus shows in Moscow, our hand balancer has perfected his talents to create a showcase that is mesmerizing to witness. This out of this world contortionist is the ultimate performer as he fuses daring stunts with his incredible ability to bend in every direction together to create a routine so jaw-droppingly brilliant you cannot believe what you are watching!

Our Extreme ® stunt riding team will also be performing the Globe of Death. The most death-defying act ever completed, as the group experience G-force similar to that of a fighter pilot. Watch as they loop vertically and horizontally all while encased in a mesh sphere. This really is one for the petrolheads!

The show also has Diablo, Perch Pole, Aerial Hula Hoop and of course the unforgettable festive bellboys with an amazing coordinated routine performing an incredible skipping act with a TWIST not to be missed!

Together with aerial displays of grace and beauty from Anna Rastsova on the aerial trapeze and the unforgettable Alikhanov Troupe showcasing their high wire winter spectacle, staggeringly walking 3 man high on a high wire in the roof of the Big Top. There are so many highlights of the festive show ‘Miracles’ people will be speak about it for years to come!     The Production and logistic departments have been busy planning the UK’s Largest Circus Big Top set up for over 2 years.

THIS AMAZING AND EXCLUSIVE SHOW IS CURRENTLY ONLY SHOWING AT THE NEC BIRMINGHAM All housed in our state of the art theatre style luxury big top.

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Magic Christmas Tour in Moscow

• Professional local guide
• Entry/Admission - Saint Basil's Cathedral
• St. Basil's Cathedral, Krasnaya ploshad, Moskva, Russia, 109012 Zaryadye Park is a new symbol of Moscow, Kremlin, Red Square, and St. Basils Cathedral
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Near public transportation
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Most travelers can participate
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
• All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
• You'll start at St. Basil's Cathedral Krasnaya ploshad, Moskva, Russia, 109012 Zaryadye Park is a new symbol of Moscow, Kremlin, Red Square, and St. Basils Cathedral See address & details
• 1 Saint Basil's Cathedral Stop: 30 minutes - Admission excluded Zaryadye Park is a new symbol of Moscow, Kremlin, Red Square, and St. Basils Cathedral Read more
• You'll return to the starting point

Magic Christmas Tour in Moscow provided by Opatrip.com Russia