Historians And Citizens Want Limerick Mansion Preserved

LIMERICK, PA —The Historical Society of Limerick and other interested citizens Tuesday night asked the township supervisors to preserve the 1834 Hood Mansion on the property of a proposed warehouse development on a 117.9-acre tract near the Philadelphia Outlet Center.

The mansion is located on property owned by developer CB Limerick LLC, which has proposed construction of Limerick Commerce Center, a development of four warehouses.

The township supervisors on Tuesday night agreed to ask the township lawyer to include a request in a proposed ordinance for the developer to consider saving the Hood Mansion, located off Lightcap Road. If the mansion is not preserved, the supervisors asked that the developer allow citizens to enter the mansion to collect historical items. The fate of the mansion has not been determined.

The development also includes 30,000 square feet of retail space and parking. In addition, the plan also includes a private road connecting West Lightcap Road, at the light at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, to Sanatoga Road.

History of Hood Mansion

The Hood Mansion was built in 1834 by John M. Hood, an Irish immigrant for his wife and 13 children.

The house was modeled after a house that Hood admired in Ireland. He called it "Bessy Bell." In pre-Civil War days, it served as a stop for escaped enslaved people on the Underground Railroad on their way to Canada. The mansion still has the Hood family crypt.

Saving the mansion

Alexandria Sasek, vice president of the Limerick Historical Society, and Tyler Schumacher, president of the Eastern Pennsylvania Historical Society, said they are hopeful that the house would be saved. Dan Kerr, township manager, read several letters from the children of former caretakers asking to preserve the mansion.

The letter writers said they have relatives buried on the grounds.