Welkinweir is a 197-acre (80 ha) nonprofit arboretum, garden, mansion, and conservation area that is located at 1368 Prizer Road, East Nantmeal Township, Pennsylvania, United States.[2] Situated near Pottstown, it is part of the Hopewell Big Woods and is open to the public daily without charge.

Welkinweir
The lake in early March
Welkinweir is located in Pennsylvania
Welkinweir
Welkinweir is located in the United States
Welkinweir
Location1368 Prizer Rd., East Nantmeal Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°9′13″N 75°40′55″W / 40.15361°N 75.68194°W / 40.15361; -75.68194
Area162 acres (66 ha)
Built1940
ArchitectTobiessen, Fridtjof
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference No.01000953[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 7, 2001

History and notable features

edit

Welkinweir was the home of Everett and Grace Rodebaugh, founding members of the conservation-minded Green Valleys Association. They bought the site during the 1930s and spent decades improving it. Their house was erected in 1940, built upon a much smaller house in two sections circa 1750 and 1830. The architect, Fridtjof Tobiessen, designed the 1940 mansion.[3]

The property was placed into a conservation easement in 1976, donated to the association in 1997, and is now its headquarters and educational center. In 2001, the estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Its arboretum includes cherry, dogwood, dwarf evergreens, franklinia, magnolia, Japanese maple, swamp and sugar maple, and sweetgum, as well as azaleas and rhododendrons.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "History – Welkinweir". Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  3. ^ Estelle Cremers, 2001, NRHP Nomination Form - Welkinweir, accessed October 29, 2010. Enter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site.
edit

  Media related to Welkinweir at Wikimedia Commons