Crippen House

Crippen House

Help Preserve the History of the Peter Crippen House!

Although it is in a serious state of disrepair, the Peter Crippen House property on Creek Road has a tremendous amount to tell us about Huntington’s history. Not only is the house perhaps one of the oldest surviving industrial buildings in the country, it was the home of an early African American community leader and his family for nearly 140 years.

The house is believed to be the first mill building in Huntington, built in 1657 and decommissioned in 1672. It was then moved from Mill Lane to its present location where it was converted to a residence. Two centuries later it was purchased by Peter Crippen, who came to Huntington from Virginia in the 1830s. Crippen was one of the founders of Bethel AME Church, the first African American church in Huntington. His family continued to own the property until 2019. Occupied for four centuries, the property contains a multitude of clues to Huntington’s past.

Plans are being developed to move the oldest section of the house to the property at the southwest corner of New York Avenue and Mill Dam Road. There the house will be restored and opened to visitors who will learn more about this chapter of our community’s history. We also plan to complete the archeological study at the site where the house now stands.

We invite you to make a donation to make this plan a reality. All donations towards our goal of raising $30,000 will be greatly appreciated.

We are proud to work with a donor to match all contributions toward the Crippen House up to $10,000. That match ends March 31st, 2022 – contribute now!