The house was originally built in 1868 for Moses Pettengill, a hardware store owner who came to Peoria from New Hampshire in 1833.

Pettengill and his wife Lucy originally made their home on the site of the present-day Peoria Civic Center from 1836 to 1862.

The last resident was Miss Jean Morron, who lived there from 1953 until she died in 1966; the Peoria Historical Society acquired the house in 1967.

[1] The home is also listed as a contributing member to the West Bluff Historic District, which was added to the National Register in December 1976.

[6] The collection includes paintings that were restored and hung in the museum, Blanchard Pettengill's diary of growing up on the Moss Avenue property, and other family history records.