The Experience
When you arrive at Pennsbury Manor, chances are you’ll be greeted by one of the resident peacocks that roam the 43-acre estate, he may even be the peacock called Sir William “Pea." Pennsbury’s animals are as essential today as they were when Penn first built the home in 1683. South Down sheep, Red Devon oxen — along with horses, chickens, period gardens and orchards — help recreate the workings of a colonial farm.
Built on the shores of the Delaware River, Pennsbury was reconstructed in the late 1930s and today, visitors can tour the elegant Manor House, brew house, workman’s cottage, smokehouse, blacksmith shop, barn and other buildings. Every Sunday, from April through October, costumed interpretors portray different aspects of colonial life.
History
Like many of our nation’s founders, William Penn is a study in contradiction. He founded Pennsylvania on the Quaker belief that the divine spirit touches all people. He was meticulously honest in his dealings with the Lenni Lenape Indians yet owned several slaves. Several generations later the same Quaker ethic supported the abolitionist movement and helped the Underground Railroad.