George Washington’s former headquarters is for sale in Montgomery County

A Montgomery County property that George Washington used as a headquarters during the Revolutionary War is for sale for $3,295,000.

Washington stayed for about a month on the property in what is now the community of Fort Washington during the Continental Army’s 1777 Whitemarsh encampment.

The stone Emlen House was originally built in 1717 as the summer home of a prominent family of Quakers, according to the property listing. In the years since, the house has been reimagined and additions have been built.

The home was in rough shape when the current owners bought the property in 2018, said listing agent Jamie McFadden, based in Chestnut Hill with Team Whetzel at Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty.

A yearslong renovation, completed in 2024, was about “keeping the home as traditional as they could while still making it comfortable for today,” McFadden said.

The house was gutted and rebuilt. The owners saved original features such as fireplaces and the curved, three-story wooden staircase. They restored the locally-sourced stone on the outside of the home.

A long, tree-lined driveway leads to the entrance of the home and an attached three-car garage that was constructed before the current owners purchased the property.

The three-story house sits on more than 2½ acres and spans roughly 7,850 square feet. It includes six bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two half bathrooms.

The home has a formal living room, a dining room with a bar, and a study that leads to the property’s fieldstone patio out back. It has hardwood floors throughout.

The farm-styled kitchen includes a walk-in pantry, a hand-hammered sink, a double oven, and an island with seating.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and includes three closets. The suite’s bathroom has a soaking tub and a separate makeup vanity.

The bedrooms on the second floor each have en suite bathrooms. This level also has a family room, an oversized laundry room, and office space.

The third floor includes more bathrooms, a reading nook, and bedrooms with tall ceilings and lots of light. “This is one of those houses where it might be the third floor, but it’s not third-floor attic type of living,” McFadden said.

For the renovations, the current owners worked with the Montgomery County-based Cherokee Construction, which specializes in high-end properties; the Asher Slaunwhite + Partners architecture firm, based in Montgomery County; and interior designer Mimi Boston Johnson.

McFadden said potential buyers could include people who love American architecture but don’t want to take on a big renovation project.

Behind the property is 36 acres of permanently preserved open space called the Piszek Preserve, which includes woodlands, wetlands, meadows, and the Sandy Run creek.

The property was listed for sale earlier this month. During showings, McFadden said he tells prospective buyers, “You could now live where Washington walked.”

Even though he lives in Philadelphia with all its historic spots, he said, the thought “still amazes me.”