About the Site

 Grey Towers was the home of Gifford Pinchot, founder and first Chief of the US Forest Service and Pennsylvania Governor for two terms. Located in Milford, Pennsylvania, Grey Towers was completed in 1886 by Gifford's father, James Pinchot, a successful businessman and philanthropist. The Pinchot family enjoyed numerous summers at Grey Towers, entertaining guests with afternoon teas and dinner parties. At Grey Towers, James, disturbed by destructive logging practices then prevalent in the country, encouraged his eldest son, Gifford Pinchot, to consider a career in forestry.

Gifford married Cornelia Bryce Pinchot in 1914, and the couple moved to Grey Towers. Cornelia made sweeping changes in the design and use of the home, making it “more fitting as a Governor’s home.” The power couple continued to use the home for entertainment and their guests helped move forward their conservation, political and social justice platforms. Supported by the working class, farmers, and women who won the right to vote in 1921, Gifford served two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1923-1927 and 1931-1935.

In 1963, Gifford and Cornelia’s son Dr. Gifford Bryce Pinchot donated Grey Towers and 102 acres to the US Forest Service to carry forward the principles set forth by his father. Today the USDA Forest Service, with numerous partners, administers the site as an education and meeting spaces. Public programs, tours, education programs, conferences and seminars at the estate bring together a diverse group of leading conservation and environmental thinkers to help guide the future of natural resource conservation.