Growden Mansion Project Dating Historic Bensalem Property

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — This historic property is among the oldest in Bucks County.

The Growden Mansion property is believed to have some of the oldest remaining structures in Bucks County.

The mansion, also known as Trevose Manor, is a local historical landmark in the township, sitting along the Neshaminy Creek.

These days, officials have been working to date the construction of the buildings on the mansion.

The Bensalem Township Parks and Recreation Department has been working with Dr. Dan Miles, FSA, and his associate Michael Cuba from the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory, along with Clint Flack from the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle on dating the buildings.

Miles even flew in from Oxford, England, to be a part of this project.

Core samples were recently taken. They will then use dendrochronology to determine the precise age of the trees used in construction.

Local legend maintains that Benjamin Franklin performed his famous kite-flying experiment at Growdon Mansion to prove that lightning was the same as static electricity, the broader consensus is that Franklin flew his kite closer to his home in Philadelphia.

Other significant historical figures such as George Washington and John Adams have also stayed at the mansion.

The Growdon mansion is now operated as a museum by the Historical Society of Bensalem Township. It includes an outbuilding called "The Vault," where the early deeds and county records, as well as papers of Benjamin Franklin, used to be stored.

Watch this video of some of the work taking place at the mansion