Ephraim McDowell House

The Ephraim McDowell House is a historic house museum in Danville with a mixed facade of clapboard and later brick additions. The rooms contain an apothecary shop, operating room, kitchen, and gardens furnished with original items from the early 1800s.

The house is best known because the first successful abdominal surgery without anesthesia was performed here in 1809, founding modern surgery. This was a turning point in medical history that changed the field for generations to come.

The house shows how medicine was lived and practiced in the early 1800s, with a working apothecary space and herb gardens that still grow plants from that era.

Visitors can explore the rooms at their own pace or join a guided tour to better understand the facilities and their historical use. The grounds are easy to walk through with access to both floors, the apothecary, and the outdoor gardens.

Less known is that the house still preserves original instruments and medical documents from around 1809 that show how doctors worked back then. These objects offer visitors a rare glimpse into the reality of early surgery without modern technology or pain management.