Pennsbury Manor
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Pennsbury Manor
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| Nearest city: | Tullytown, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates: | 40°07′58″N 74°46′06″W / 40.13278°N 74.76833°WCoordinates: 40°07′58″N 74°46′06″W / 40.13278°N 74.76833°W |
| Built: | Original: 1683 Recreation: 1939 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Architectural style: | No Style Listed |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: | 69000154[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | October 28, 1969 |
Pennsbury Manor is a recreated colonial estate in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. From 1683 to 1701, it was the American home of William Penn, founder and proprietor of the Colony of Pennsylvania. The estate and its buildings were recreated in the 1930s. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 28, 1969. The manor house and grounds are administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in association with The Pennsbury Society, and are open to the public.[2]
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[edit] History
William Penn traveled to the New World to start his dream of a "Holy Experiment" free from religious persecution. With a 26-million-acre (110,000 km2) tract granted by the English King Charles II, his dream became a reality. He met with the local Native American tribes to sue for peace and their blessing to settle the land, resulting in success. Penn then plotted out the village of Philadelphia between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. His focus then turned to platting and building a manor house.
The manor is located along the banks of the Delaware River, between the river proper and Van Sciver Lake. Construction at Pennsbury was begun soon after Penn's arrival in the colony in 1682 and completed in about 1686. In addition to the house, there were separate buildings for baking and brewing, a large stable, a boathouse, and numerous farm buildings. Penn's plan was to establish the sort of gentleman's country estate that had been his home in England.
Penn spent most of his time in Philadelphia governing his settlement leaving the house empty for long periods of time. The house had already fallen into disrepair by 1736 when one of Penn's sons remarked that the house "was very near falling, the roof open as well as the windows and the woodwork almost rotten." The house remained in the Penn family until 1792.[3]
Along with Pennsbury Manor, Penn also rented The Slate Roof House in Philadelphia as his second residence in the colony during the period 1699-1701.
[edit] Exterior
The recreated red-brick manor house stands two stories tall with dormer windows piercing the hipped roof. It is designed in the Georgian style and stands five bays wide and two piles deep. The white window and door trim contrast against the brick, which is laid in Flemish bond.
The manor house is surrounded by the support buildings, built in either matching red brick or whitewashed wood frames.
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ Pennsbury Manor official website
- ^ P. L. Hudson, Pennsbury Manor: The Philosopher’s Garden, Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine, Number 4, Fall 1994.
[edit] External links
[edit] Further reading
- Seitz, Ruth Hoover & Blair; Pennsylvania's Historic Places; Good Books; Intercourse, Pennsylvania; ISBN 1-56148-242-0
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- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- Museums in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Houses completed in 1683
- Historic house museums in Pennsylvania
- Biographical museums in Pennsylvania
- Houses in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
