Edward G. Acheson House

Acheson, Edward G., House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Pennsylvania state historical marker
Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation Landmark
Edward G. Acheson House in 2011
Location	Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Coordinates
Area	less than one acre
Built	1890
Architect	Unknown
Architectural style	No Style Listed
NRHP Reference #	76001679
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 11, 1976
Designated NHL	May 11, 1976
Designated PHMC	August 01, 1953

The Edward G. Acheson House at 908 Main St. in Monongahela, Washington County, Pennsylvania in the United States, was the home of the inventor of carborundum and the likely site of its invention.

The house

A vernacular building with little or no architectural significance, it is a two and a half story brick house built simply and solidly, probably in the 1870s. Between 1890 and 1895 the house was the home of inventor Edward G. Acheson (1856–1931). In 1891, he conducted experiments that led to his invention of carborundum, his name for silicon carbide, probably in a summer kitchen attached to the back of the house.

A mixture of clay and powdered coke, fused by means of an electric current, Carborundum was then—and for fifty years remained—the hardest known artificial substance in the world. It has been used in countless industrial processes, primarily as an abrasive, over the years. Acheson's achievements are all the more remarkable in that he was self-educated and worked independently."

In 1953, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker outside the house, noting the historic importance of Acheson's achievements. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It is designated as a historic residential landmark/farmstead by the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation.