Activists Hope Discovered Human Remains Can Protect Montco Mansion

LIMERICK TOWNSHIP, PA — Activists and preservationists who have been working for years to protect a historic mansion in Montgomery County threatened by development hope that the recent discovery of century-old human remains on the property spurs some measure of protection.

The Hood Mansion in Limerick Township, which was originally built in 1834 and sits just off Possum Hollow Road near Sanatoga Road, was put up for sale for free for anyone who can move it several months ago.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Preservation Society believes the remains belong to an individual in the Hood family, who would've died in the late 1800s or early 1900s, so no foul play is suspected.

"While the family's final wish was to rest undisturbed on their ancestral estate, impending redevelopment threatens their plans," said Tyler Schumacher, president of the Preservation Society.

Related: Get This Historic Montgomery Co. Mansion For Free, If You Can Move It

Schumacher said that some 15 family members were interred at the estate as of the early 1900s, but years of disrepair and the ensuing vandalism reduced those numbers to just four: John McClellan Hood, the first generation Irish immigrant who had the home built, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Washington and Montgomery. It's believed the remains recently discovered must be of one of those four, though experts do not yet know which.

The Preservation Society has secured a cemetery plot in the Limerick Church Burial Grounds for the remains of all the Hoods who remain on the property.

The property has been sold to a Brooklyn, New York-based developer that plans to build four warehouses on the property and raze the existing structures, including the home and the mausoleum. Preservationists see moving the home as the only way to save it.

Vandalism continues to plague the property. Schumacher said that a monument on the property, dedicated to Washington Hood, who became a famous explorer, was vandalized in July. It will also be moved to the cemetery plot