Robert Ingersoll Birthplace

The Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum is open to the public on Main Street in Dresden, New York. The carefully restored frame house contains historical artifacts and fascinating information about one of America's most powerful public speakers and the dramatic times in which he lived. Can't make it to Dresden? On this website you can view the introductory video played for museum visitors, or take a virtual tour that includes all of the principal artifacts in our collection. Click one of the links at left. ROBERT GREEN INGERSOLL (1833 - 1899) is the most remarkable American most people never heard of. The premier orator and political speechmaker of post-Civil War America, he criss-crossed the nation lecturing from memory to packed houses. His topics included politics, the arts, science, and - most controversial of all - religion. Known as "The Great Agnostic," Ingersoll defied the religious conservatives of his day. He championed causes like women's rights, racial equality, and birth control decades before their time.