History
1681
King Charles II grants William Penn a large piece of his North American land holdings to satisfy a debt owed by the king to Penn’s father. Penn sought to attract individuals who would settle the expanse of land on the outskirts of Philadelphia, and Quaker immigrants from Wales, like Pierce, Morgan, and Ambler, were among the first to embark on the adventure.
Richard Pierce purchases 500 acres of this land from William Penn. The land on which the Inn now stands was part of this parcel.
1682
1711
William Morgan purchases 200 acres of the land from Pierce.
Joseph Ambler purchases 90 acres of the land from Morgan. Joseph Ambler’s profession as a wheelwright inspired the use of the carriage in our logo.
1723
1734
The original two-room, two-story fieldstone farmhouse is constructed. Historical records indicate that generations of the Ambler family make life and farm the property for the next 90 years.
The stone bank barn as well as an addition to the farmhouse are constructed by John Roberts.
1820
1825
John Roberts marries an Ambler daughter and acquires the property. Over the next 100 years, the farm had various owners.
Under the ownership of the Wright family, the schoolroom addition to the farmhouse and the tenant farmer’s cottage (now known as the Corybeck) were constructed. The property passed from the Wrights to the Floods to the Wolfes.
1929
1983
Richard Allman purchases the 12 acre farm and begins its transition, opening a modest bed & breakfast with 15 guest rooms in the Farmhouse and Corybeck cottage.
The Stone Bank Barn is renovated to include a restaurant, bar, small banquet room and 13 additional guest rooms.
1987
1997
The Thomas Wilson House, a stone beauty built in the 1850’s and inhabited by six generations of Wilsons, early settlers of Montgomery County from Ireland, is saved from demolition by Mr. Allman, moved to the grounds of the Joseph Ambler Inn, and meticulously restored.
The John Roberts House, built in 1794, is saved from developers by Mr. Allman, moved two miles to the grounds of the Inn, and painstakingly restored. How fitting that the initials John Roberts carved into the stone of both the Barn and the John Roberts House now face each other on our property, bringing the history of these families back together.