Site Guide

"William Penn’s Holy Experiment" of Pennsylvania fulfilled his dream of a government based on religious freedom, ethnic diversity, and fairness for all people. Pennsbury Manor fulfilled his dream for a country estate in the new colony.William Penn (1644-1718) was proprietor of three colonies; founder and planner of the City of Philadelphia; and an early proponent of religious freedom, representative government, and ethnic pluralism. He established Pennsylvania as a home for Quakers and other dissidents. An influential Quaker convert himself, William Penn helped administer East and West Jersey before petitioning King Charles 11 for land in which to realize his Holy Experiment. Penn received the Charter for Pennsylvania in 1681 and arrived in his colony in October 1682.

The next year he began building his personal estate, Pennsbury Manor. Because of his love for country life, Penn chose 8,400 acres of land 26 miles north of Philadelphia, on the Delaware River. Although he already held English title to the land, Penn was unusual among colonial rulers: he acknowledged the rights of the native Lenni Lenape Indians and purchased his land from them as well. Penn did not live long at Pennsbury Manor. He was only in Pennsylvania twice, during 1682-1684 and in 1699-1701, because ill health and politics kept him in England. Between the two trips, Penn directed the construction through letters to his steward. During the late 1680's Pennsbury bustled with workmen, but in the 1690's the estate fell into disrepair. When Penn returned in 1699 he brought with him his wife Hannah, two of his children, and many servants. According to surviving records, they refurbished the buildings, gardens, and farm, and made numerous trips to Philadelphia for the supplies and provisions necessary for a great estate. Penn's only American child was born in Philadelphia in January 1700 and spent his first two summers at Pennsbury.

Through neglect, Pennsbury's main buildings collapsed and the estate degenerated into ruin after Penn's death. Penn's descendants sold the land in 1792 and a succession of owners purchased it over the intervening years. By 1929 no trace of Pennsbury survived above ground and nineteenth century buildings covered the original foundations. In 1932 the Charles Warner Company gave ten acres, including the area of the house, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a memorial to William Penn. Between 1933 and 1942 the Pennsylvania Historical Commission reconstructed the plantation, including the Manor House, the outbuildings, and the landscape. The architect, R. Brognard Okie, based his design on Penn's original instructions and on careful archeology. Pennsbury Manor reopened as a formal estate in 1939.

Although Penn is most noted today as a Quaker and political philosopher, the estate we see at Pennsbury is typical for any English gentleman of 300 years ago. While his lifestyle was less elaborate than others of his rank, Penn lived in greater ostentation than most Quakers. He never adopted the unornamented lifestyle typical of Quakers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Today Pennsbury Manor is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in cooperation with The Pennsbury Society, a non-profit membership organization. The 43-acre historic site closely reflects the forty acres Penn himself had cleared. Through tours, exhibits, workshops, and special programs, Pennsbury Manor shares the colonial world of Penn with visitors.

A ticket stub from Pennsbury Manor is good toward reduced adult admission at any of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historic sites and museums listed in the Pennsylvania Trail of History brochure. Membership in The Pennsbury Society provides free admission to Pennsbury Manor and other PHMC museums, subscription to the quarterly Pennsylvania Heritage and to Pennsbury's newsletter, a 10% discount on purchases over $3 in the Manor Shop, and special rates at Pennsbury's special events.

The information on this page was reviewed and approved by Doug Miller, historic site administrator of Pennsbury Manor. If you have comments about this page, please e-mail us at willpenn17@aol.com