From the late 1600s until the 1870s, this innovative industrial village was a place where people worked and lived. The 1707 Rittenhouse Homestead was the first permanent home of the Rittenhouse family in America. It stands across from Paper Mill Run and the site of the original 1690 paper mill, the first in North America. Eight generations of the Rittenhouse family lived in the house, which was also the birthplace of astronomer and Revolutionary patriot David Rittenhouse. The left side of the structure is the earliest part of the Homestead and reflects German architectural folk traditions, while the newer 1725 section on the right reflects English traditions, including sash windows and an end chimney. The front of the house, facing Lincoln Drive, features a paneled door that opens onto the second floor and may have been used to load reams of paper onto the backs of horses. Built about 1725 as part of the Homestead's expansion, the Bake House, with its 16 1/2 foot hearth, fed generations of Rittenhouse family members and mill workers and provided extensive and varied cooking spaces. Its hearth allowed cooks to create hot spots of different temperatures over which multiple cooking vessels could hang, and the beehive oven includes a cavity for baking bread. It took two and a half to three hours to heat the oven; as it later cooled, it was used to roast meats, bake casserole dishes and pies, dry fruit and vegetables, and dry herbs for winter use.
