McDowell House Museum is a restored and furnished house museum with a historic pharmacy and two gardens! Come visit this National Historic Landmark where medical history was made. McDowell House is the former home and office of pioneering surgeon Dr. Ephraim McDowell.

Here on Christmas morning 1809 in an upstairs bedroom, Dr. McDowell performed a surgical experiment on a brave and desperate woman named Jane Todd Crawford.  Without medical intervention, Mrs. Crawford was doomed to die a slow and painful death from a huge abdominal tumor. Dr. Ephraim McDowell dared to try the impossible, surgically removing the abdominal tumor. This type of surgery had never been done before. Anesthesia, antibiotics, and modern sterilization techniques were unknown. Take a personally guided tour and hear the dramatic story!

McDowell House Museum Tours

McDowell House has reopened for tours!

All tours will be private (for your group only), please book ahead of time. 

You may view availability and purchase tickets online or at our gift shop. 

Constitution Square Tours 

Starting in June, we will also be offering limited tours of Constitution Square, bookings are open for summer!

Gift Shop 

Our gift shop is open M-Sat 10:00-4:00. We are closed for a half hour lunch from 12:00-12:30. 

Tour tickets and select items are also available online. 

Are you related to Dr. McDowell? If so, please take our Family Survey
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