Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Pennsylvania Wyalusing French Azilum

French Azilum

A planned settlement in Pennsylvania once housed the aristocratic refugees of the French Revolution.

Wyalusing, Pennsylvania

Added By
Urvija Banerji
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
French Azilum   Doug Kerr
A ghost town today   Doug Kerr
French Azilum Historic Site on Susquehanna River   Nicholas
Signs at the entrance   Doug Kerr
A plaque at French Azilum   Doug Kerr
  desirapesta / Atlas Obscura User
  desirapesta / Atlas Obscura User
  desirapesta / Atlas Obscura User
  desirapesta / Atlas Obscura User
  desirapesta / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Despite France's crucial role in helping America win independence from Britain during the Revolutionary War, the newly born United States did not return the favor when France's own political revolution sprang up a decade later. A few influential Pennsylvanians, however, did throw a small bone to the French upper crust.

In the late 18th century, several wealthy Pennsylvania politicians and businessmen expressed sympathies with exiles of the French Revolution, and built a small settlement for aristocratic refugees fleeing the war. Loyalists of King Louis XVI were hoping to escape the guillotine following the king's execution in 1793, and French exiles were also fleeing the French colony of Saint-Domingue in Haiti, where slave uprisings had broken out in 1791.

The Pennsylvania men, who included Stephen Girard, Robert Morris and John Nicholson, saw a lucrative opportunity in the refugees' displacement, and purchased a 300-acre plot of land in Bradford County, near a river bend of the Susquehanna. The intention was to create a small slice of France for French asylum-seekers, with the hope that it would become a self-sufficient community. 

On this plot of land by the Susquehanna river, the quasi court once entertained princes and future kings — it's rumored the settlement even included a house for Queen Marie Antoinette.

The plot was laid out to look like a town, with a market square, a grid of broad streets and 413 lots for houses. About 30 long houses were built from logs. Although crude, most of these houses had a chimney, wallpaper, glass windows, shutters and porches. 

Around 30 refugees arrived at French Azilum in the fall of 1793. La Grande Maison, the grandest log structure in the settlement, was used for social gatherings and entertaining distinguished guests, such as Talleyrand and Louis Philippe, the future king of France. Rumors flew that the house was intended to be the home of Marie Antoinette and her children, should they manage to escape from France.

However the attempt to create an insular version of the French good life did not last long. Morris and Nicholson went bankrupt in the late 1790s, and money from French sources dried up. Many of the exiles left for southern American cities like New Orleans, Savannah and Charleston.

In 1803, Napoleon allowed the exiles to return to France, and the little sliver of France had all but disappeared by the turn of the century. Some families chose to remain in Pennsylvania, and settled in local communities: the LaPortes, Homets, LeFevres, Brevosts and D'Autremonts. 

Today, none of the more than fifty original structures of French Azilum remain. The historic site retained some 20 acres of the original settlement, though most of the land was absorbed into local farmland. There is one reconstructed log cabin that serves as a museum, which displays artifacts and objects that belonged to the town's original French exiles. 

Related Tags

French Revolution Pennsylvania Abandoned Marie Antoinette History War History Military

Know Before You Go

Open 11:00am - last tour at 4:00pm

Community Contributors

Added By

urvijabanerji

Edited By

desirapesta

  • desirapesta

Published

August 11, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://archive.org/details/FrenchAsylumOnTheSusquehannaRiver
  • http://www.frenchazilum.com/history.php
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Azilum
French Azilum
469 Queens Rd
Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, 18853
United States
41.735907, -76.311742
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

MGM-13 Mace Missile

Mildred, Pennsylvania

miles away

Penny Rock

Montrose, Pennsylvania

miles away

Endicott History and Heritage Center

Endicott, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

Nearby Places

MGM-13 Mace Missile

Mildred, Pennsylvania

miles away

Penny Rock

Montrose, Pennsylvania

miles away

Endicott History and Heritage Center

Endicott, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

Related Stories and Lists

9 Places to Experience the Turmoil of the French Revolution

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Antuni

    Castel di Tora, Italy

    Ruins of Antuni

    A semi-abandoned village destroyed by U.S. bombings during World War II dominates the valley of Turano.

  • the ruins after the January 2020 earthquake

    Guánica, Puerto Rico

    Guánica Lighthouse Ruins

    Invading U.S. troops were first seen from this now-abandoned tower, leading to the Spanish-American War.

  • Tower right

    Egina, Greece

    Tower of Markellos

    This pink watchtower served as the seat of the Greek government after independence from the Turks.

  • A aerial view of the Masada fortress.

    Masada, Israel

    Masada

    This daunting 1st century fortress was purportedly the site of one of the most dramatic revolts of the Jewish-Roman wars.

  • Red Lodge, Montana

    Chromium Mill Ruins

    Operational for less than a year, this mill produced more than 11,000 tons of chrome concentrate in its short lifespan.

  • The Human Shadow Etched in Stone.

    Hiroshima, Japan

    Human Shadow Etched in Stone

    An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

  • Virolahti, Finland

    Abandoned Bunkers of Salpalinja

    Fortifications built for a Soviet invasion that never came now sit abandoned in a losing battle against nature.

  • Bunkers in Staatswald

    Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany

    Bunkers in Staatswald

    These abandoned Cold War-era bunkers are now a designated refuge for endangered bat species.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.