The Slifer House opened to the public as a Museum in 1976. Since that time the house has been furnished with appropriate decorative arts from the Victorian Era. Many family artifacts have been returned to the house from descendants and friends of the Slifer and Ross families.
The Slifer House is the site for a number of programs which evoke the sophisticated Victorian Era, including outdoor concerts, musicals, ice cream socials, Abraham Lincoln visits, fashion shows, and teas. It has also been the home of a children's history camp.
During the Christmas season, the Museum is attractively decorated with garlands of greenery wrapping the banister and a floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree decorated with period ornaments. It makes the perfect setting for holiday parties.
The Slifer House is also an ideal location for weddings or other special occasions.
The Slifer House Museum is a grand Victorian mansion built by Eli Slifer as a "country estate" for his family. With initial success as a manufacturer, Eli Slifer later achieved prominence as a politician, ultimately serving as the Secretary of Pennsylvania during the Civil War. Designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan in 1860, the Slifer house cost $8,000 to complete.