Emlen Physick Estate

Welcome to the Emlen Physick Estate,
Cape May, New Jersey's only Victorian house museum

Weekday Tours by Appointment
New in 2010! If you’re in Cape May on a weekday and want to visit the Physick Estate, just call ahead and we’ll set up a personalized tour for you. Cost is $75 (for up to five people) and $15 for each additional person. Tours are available from 10 am to 2 pm, weekdays January through March. Two hours advance notice required. For additional information or to book a tour, call 609-884-5404, ext. 115.

A visit to the Physick Estate today offers a look back at our Victorian past as evidenced by its architecture, decorative arts, customs, and the lives of one particular Cape May family, the Physicks.

Emlen Physick Jr., his widowed mother, Frances Ralston, and his maiden aunt Emilie Parmentier moved into their home when it was completed in 1879.

Emlen, who never married, was descended from a famous and wealthy Philadelphia family.

His grandfather, Dr. Philip Syng Physick, was considered the father of American surgery and invented numerous surgical procedures and medical instruments that are still in use today.

While he did graduate from medical school, Emlen never practiced medicine. In Cape May, he led the life of a gentleman farmer, owning two tenant farms and keeping livestock on his estate on Washington Street.

He bought and sold a great deal of real estate in Cape May, and took an active interest in local doings by voicing his opinions at city council meetings.

The Physicks' distinctive home illustrates their changing tastes as well as the particulars of the Victorian lifestyle in Cape May.

New theme for 2009-2010! Experience “HERstory,” the new Physick Estate tour that explores the changing roles of women in the Victorian era. During this period, women became delicate flowers that had to be protected in their parlors. This revolution in roles provoked a reaction in the first Women’s Movement. Hear about the pure and gentle ladies and the tough and forceful women of the nineteenth century in this all-new themed tour of the Physick Estate. Starting Friday, April 23, discover “On the Town”— the special theme for 2010-2011 that looks at the ways Victorians celebrated and socialized.

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