The Cummins Society was formed in 1984 to: Establish ‘Cummins’ as an education, museum, and exhibition centre. Refurbish the house with furniture and fittings appropriate to the original period of ‘Cummins’. Arrange and support fundraising activities. Restore and catalogue exhibits and maintain the garden and grounds. The house is heritage listed, owned by the South Australian Government and under the management of the Department for Environment and Water.
Historic Cummins House was built in 1842 for Sir John Morphett and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Adelaide’s first Residential Commissioner, James Hurtle Fisher. The house originally stood on 132 acres of working farmland on which orchards, vines and olive groves and a variety of local and imported trees were tended. The property also farmed sheep and held a well-known horse stud.
The Cummins Society volunteers provide guided tours of the house and serve Devonshire afternoon tea. Open on lst and 3rd Sundays of each month from February to November (not open Easter Sunday). Payment by cash at the door. Bookings essential. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/historiccumminshouse for further details.
The house and grounds are lovingly preserved by volunteers to give visitors a strong sense of the history and the lives of one of Adelaide’s founding families.