Pennsbury Manor, a collection of reconstructed buildings designed to replicate Pennsylvania founder William Penn's 17th century estate in Lower Bucks County, provides a glimpse of life in Revolutionary times.
At the open hearth in the Bake and Brew house, women dressed in period garb cook meat pies, bread and other foods Penn (1644-1718) probably dined on 300 years ago.
In the re-creation of Penn's manor house, you can take in the somber rooms of brown floorboards and dark brown paneling.
Each year, 55,000 people tour the grounds of Pennsbury Manor, said Bruce Bekker, the manor's director of public relations and development. Bekker said the tours are popular with young and old alike, and give visitors a chance to see the insides of a stable, a joyner's shop and an ice house -- in addition to the manor house and other stuctures -- as they appeared in the 1600s.
The historic park, which sits along the Delaware River in Tullytown, was built between 1933 and 1942 based on "the best available scholarly evidence," Bekker said.
The original buildings -- fieldstone and brick being the most common materials -- were constructed in the 1680s but quickly fell into disrepair. Penn's descendents sold off the Pennsbury land in the late 1700s and by the beginning of this century, according to information provided by the historic site, there was no visible sign of any of the manor buildings left above the ground.
In the 1930s, a private company that had acquired some of the old Penn land donated 10 acres of it back to the state of Pennsylvania. Other land grants brought the total acreage of the site to 43 acres, a far cry from the 8,400 acres Penn originally owned in Lower Bucks County but pretty close to the amount of land he cleared for the manor, according to Pennsbury Manor literature.
Penn, who is remembered as an early proponent of religious freedom -- he established Pennsylvania so there would be a place for Quakers and other dissenting religious groups --lived at the manor for only a few years. Because illness and political responsibilities in England kept him away the rest of the time, Penn lived at the estate only from 1682 to 1684 and from 1699 to 1701.
Bekker said there are two ways to see the site: take a guided tour or "you can simply purchase grounds passes and tour the site on your own," he said. The guided tours cost a few more dollars then the grounds passes, but they allow visitors inside the reconstructed buildings, which the grounds passes do not.
Summer is a good time to get a grounds pass because the flowers and landscaping of the site -- located right off the Delaware River -- are impressive. This year marks Penn's 350th birthday. However, Bekker said, the historic site is "not doing a huge thing" to commemorate the landmark.
There was a 350th birthday celebration last month, complete with Colonial games and living history theater, he said. But for the most part, Pennsbury Manor is offering the same outings and programs it has for years.
One of the most popular events is Holly Night, which takes place this year tonight, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Bekker said the entire grounds of the manor are illuminated with candles set inside wind screens. "The effect is really magicial," he said.
Last year, Bekker said, 1,200 people attended despite a freezing rain storm. The manor also puts on special programs on several Sundays throughout the year. Chefs cook in the open hearth of the Bake and Brew House, role players portray the people who lived and worked in Pennsbury Manor and woodworkers and blacksmiths demonstrate the crafts and trades of Colonial times.
Bekker said the park is administered and owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The number of employees there ranges from season to season, he said, but the average is about 20. In addition to fees, the park is funded by a combination of state and local money. This year's budget is about $500,000, he said.
The manor is located off Bordentown Road, just north of Tullytown. It is about 10 minutes from Exit 29 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
For information, call (215) 946-0400.