The Cottage

Up a short path from the Veblen House is the 1870s Douer farm cottage, a small barn and a corn crib. This is the building people see when they hike the trails of Herrontown Woods, and it's often mistaken for the Veblen House.

The Veblens acquired this site in 1936, five years before acquiring the nearby house. It served primarily as Veblen's study--a place where he could get away, sit next to the wood stove and read. Einstein and other friends would sometimes come over. Descendants of a family that lived there in the 1930s say that Einstein would sometimes wander by, and be invited in for a sandwich.

In 2020, this cottage was deemed eligible for national historic status, due to it being one of the few remaining examples of a smallholder farmer's dwelling. FOHW has taken steps over the years to keep the cottage dry and minimize deterioration. More work on renovation awaits progress on the Veblen House.