Windsor Forge Mansion

Windsor Forge Mansion, also known as Windsor Place, is an historic, American home and national historic district located in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Windsor Forge Mansion
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
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Location	Windsor Road south of Bootjack Road, Caernarvon Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°7′40″N 75°57′35″W
Area	5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built	1742, c. 1765, c. 1815
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP reference No.	89002283[1]
Added to NRHP	January 4, 1990

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.^[1]

History and architectural features

This property was built by William Branson and later owned by the well-known local Van Leer family, who owned several nearby iron businesses. Dr. Bernardhus Van Leer and his family were listed as owners of the mansion.^[2]

This district includes four contributing buildings and three contributing objects. The buildings are the Ironmaster's Mansion, a stone smokehouse (c. 1765), a stone spring house (c. 1765), and a stone summer kitchen/servant's quarters (c. 1765).

The three objects are pieces by noted artist and poet Blanche Nevin (1841–1925), who purchased Windsor Forge Mansion in 1899. Her grandfather Robert Jenkins (1769–1848) had previously been ironmaster and congressman.

The oldest section of the Ironmaster's Mansion was built circa 1742; the western section was built circa 1765, and the connecting middle section was built circa 1815. A shed roof porch was added in 1899, at which time the structure was renovated. The house is 2+1⁄2 stories and was built using stone. Nevin also added a studio to the house.^[3]

This property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.^[1]

See also

• Samuel Van Leer
• Reading Furnace Historic District