National Register of Historic Places

Pennsbury Manor

Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Listed
October 27, 1969
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
69000154

About this property

Pennsbury Manor is the colonial estate of William Penn, founder and proprietor of the Colony of Pennsylvania, who lived there from 1699 to 1701. He left it and returned to England in 1701, where he died penniless in 1718. Following his departure and financial woes, the estate fell into numerous hands and disrepair. Since 1939, a reconstructed manor has stood on the original property. Penn had his manor built on an 8,000-acre (3,200 ha) parcel, part of his much larger grant of land from the Crown. It was located about 25 miles north of Philadelphia along the Delaware River in present-day Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In 1929, the Pennsylvania legislature authorized acquisition of the property by gift. In 1932 the Warner Company donated nearly ten acres of the property to the state of Pennsylvania as a site for a permanent memorial to Penn. The Pennsylvania Historical Commission was given responsibility for it. The legislature appropriated money to reconstruct the buildings of this estate in a historically accurate manner, to create a house museum in 1939. Over the decades, more land was acquired, and the property now has a total of 43-acre (17 ha). 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. The Pennsbury Society has EIN 23-6417452 as a 501(c)(3) Public Charity; in 2024 it claimed total revenue of $495,922 and total assets of $79,655. The Pennsbury Society Endowment Trust has EIN 23-6997962 as a separate 501(c)(3) Public Charity and claimed 2024 revenue of $26,029 with total assets of $1,312,219.

Location

Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
40.13480, -74.76667

Categories

HISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINAL
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

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Nearby Battles

Battle of Assunpink Creek / Second Trenton Jan 2 1777
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5.4 mi
Second Battle of Trenton
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Battle of Assunpink Creek (Second Trenton)
1777Revolutionary War
5.6 mi
Second Battle of Trenton Jan 2 1777
1777Revolutionary War
5.7 mi
First Battle of Trenton
1776Revolutionary War
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Questions about this property

When was Pennsbury Manor listed on the National Register?

Pennsbury Manor was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 27, 1969.

What type of historic resource is Pennsbury Manor?

Pennsbury Manor is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Pennsbury Manor?

The period of significance for Pennsbury Manor is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Pennsbury Manor?

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