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.
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.
Read more about this topic: Pennsbury Manor
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