Built in the 1760s, it is notable as the first home in America of painter and naturalist John James Audubon (1785-1851), for whom the community is named.

The 130-acre (53 ha) estate is now maintained as a museum and wildlife sanctuary by Montgomery County, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

Mill Grove is located on the west side of the village of Audubon, just north of Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Due to its proximity to Valley Forge, it was looted during the American Revolutionary War, although the house was spared from significant damage.

In 1803 he sent his eighteen-year-old son Jean (who soon anglicized his name John James Audubon) to Mill Grove to oversee further development of the mine.