Just off the beaten path is a two-story house that is consisted of all stone on Steinwehr Avenue present day. This house is named after the original owner that purchased land near the time of the Revolutionary War in the late 1700s. This house has seen many different aspects of war: family struggles, escaping to freedom, blood, amputations, deaths, and large families living within the walls. The first owner of the house was Reverend Alexander Dobbin, and the house is as old as the United States of America.
Reverend Alexander Dobbin wasn’t born in Pennsylvania, but across the Atlantic Ocean on the isles. He arrived into this world on February 4th, 1742 in Londonderry, Ireland. Now, if anyone watched the television show on Starz called “Outlander”, they talk about the history in northern Ireland in the 1700s. Much unrest between the commoners and the Irish government. Even with these hardships, the economy was dependent on the harvest, and there was a bank failure in the 1730s along with famines. Alexander’s father, John Dobbin, was a Scottish sailor. His father taught the family about the beliefs of native Scottish Presbyterianism. Alexander was very involved with his religious beliefs and undertook the oath to study Latin and Greek and master the classics.
After twelve years of schooling and attending the University of Glasgow, he obtained his license and was ordained. That same year, he was blessed to have found his soul mate in the hand of marriage. He married a young woman, Isabella Gamble, in July 1772. He would be ordained less than a month later. Over in the northern Delaware near New Castle/Wilmington region, there was another reverend that was spreading Presbyterianism named John Cuthbertson, who was also from Ireland. Isabella and Alexander Dobbin sailed from Londonderry, Ireland and arrived in New Castle on December 13th, 1773. Less than a few weeks later, Dobbin was given the chance to be the Reverend at Rock Creek Presbyterian Church.
Since the church that Reverend Alexandra Dobbin was near the town, he decided to construct his house for his wife and upcoming family. This house would serve as their dwelling as well as a small school. Mr. Dobbin purchased nearly 300 acres of land around the town of what would be the borough of Gettysburg.