The Barnardus Van Leer House, is an historic house in the colonial style. Built for Dr. Bernardhus Van Leer, it is one of the last historical dwellings in Marple Township, Pennsylvania.[1][2]
| Barnardus Van Leer House | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Van Leer's historical house | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Marple Township |
| Coordinates | 39°57′51″N 75°21′41″W / 39.96423°N 75.36131°W |
| Estimated completion | 1742 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Van Leer Family |
History
editThe original structure belonged to an estate owned by the Van Leer family who immigrated from Germany in 1698.[3][4] The land passed to the Van Leer family in 1720 or 1721,[2] and Dr. Bernardhus Van Leer built the house with the help of his father-in-law, ironmaster William Branson, in c. 1742.[2][5] According to local historian Lucy Simler it was sometimes called the Black Mansion or the Van Leer mansion; she reported that it had been speculated that it was built on the site of or taken material from an earlier building on the site built by the Stanfield family.[2][6]
A nearby log cabin, located on Conestoga High School, was also owned by the Van Leer family and used as an Underground Railroad station.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Philadelphia Architects and Buildings".
- ^ a b c d "Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Van Leer House" (PDF). Bureau of Historic Preservation. 1983. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ Jordan, John W., ed. (1911). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania; genealogical and Personal Memoirs, Volume III. Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 1320–1323. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ J. Smith Futhey (1881). History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches, VOLUME 2 ONLY. Heritage Books. p. 752. ISBN 978-0-7884-4387-9.
- ^ Lansing, Dorothy (July 1970). "The medical Van Leer family of Pennsylvania and New Jersey". Transactions & Studies of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. 38 (1): 44–6. PMID 4916432. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ Simler, Lucy (1986). Township of Marple: The First One Hundred Years. Marple Township Historical Society. pp. 109–111. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ Cox Southwell, Priscilla L. (1983). "Dating the Van Leer Cabin". Tredyffrin Easttown History Quarterly. 21 (3): 91–6.