Vancroft
National Register of Historic Places

Vancroft

Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia
Listed
September 14, 1986
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
86002885

About this property

Bubble Manor, (Formerly known as Vancroft), also known as Mt. St. George Historic District, is a historic home and national historic district. It is located near Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia. It encompasses 10 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and one contributing object associated with the manor house. The manor house was designed by Alden & Harlow in 1901 for steel magnate Joseph B. Vandergrift. It is a Shingle Style dwelling with broad gable roofs, a rough stone turret, and stone chimney. Also on the property are a pergola, a club house or retreat house, spring house, race track, grotto, farm manager's house, two farm laborer's residences, mill, barn, and "the Apple House." The property was purchased by the Catholic Knights of St. George and operated as a home for the aged. In 1998, it was purchased by the Catholic Knights of America. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. In 2022, the estate was listed for sale at 3.8 million dollars. In 2024, the estate was purchased by an anonymous group of researchers for 2.6 million dollars. In the early morning hours of November 12, 2025 a fire broke out, completely destroying the structure.

Location

Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia
40.28590, -80.59667

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREAGRICULTUREARCHITECTURE
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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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Brooke Cemetery
Early Republic
0.4 mi
Fleming, David and Lucy Tarr, Mansion
Industrial
0.5 mi
Elmhurst
Early Republic
0.6 mi
Kirker House
Industrial
0.7 mi
Beallmore
Industrial
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Vancroft listed on the National Register?

Vancroft was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Vancroft?

Vancroft is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Vancroft?

The period of significance for Vancroft is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Vancroft?

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