Mounce Jones House - Douglassville, PA, USA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Lightnin Bug
N 40° 15.219 W 075° 43.705
18T E 438052 N 4456164
The Mounce Jones House is also known as the Old Swede's House.
Waymark Code: WM13F7B
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 11/28/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member wayfrog
Views: 0

The Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County has a fine description of the house. I shall present the highlights:

"The house is the oldest documented dwelling in Berks County. It was built in 1716 by Mounce and Ingabor Jones. While this building is considered to be the oldest extant structure in the county, it is by no means the first structure that was ever built in Berks County. Also, considering the amount of restoration and reconstruction that the building has gone through, it is hard to truly consider it the oldest standing structure in the county. The original structure on the property was probably a log structure located somewhere on the river side of the current structure. A foundation for this structure had been located during the restoration of the house."

Source: (visit link)
Earliest Recorded Date of Construction: 01/01/1716

Architectural Period/Style: English hall-parlor home Style

Type of Building e.g. Country House, Stately Home, Manor:
Country House


Interesting Historical Facts or Connections:
The house was one of the few river front properties to survive the 1850 flooding of the Schuylkill River. During the nineteenth century, the property suffered much flood damage. By 1916, the property was being flooded regularly. At least by 1937, the house’s stone walls and been plastered over and the roof was covered by slate shingles. In 1952, while workers were burning debris during the removal of the Douglassville Covered Bridge, the roof caught fire and later collapsed from heavy snowfall in 1958.


Main Material of Construction: Stone

Private/Public Access: Private

Related Website: [Web Link]

Rating:

Additional Dates of Construction: Not listed

Architect (if known): Not listed

Landscape Designer (if known): Not listed

Listed Building Status (if applicable): Not listed

Admission Fee (if applicable): Not Listed

Opening Hours (if applicable): Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Tell us about your visit with any details of interest about the property. Please supply at least one original photograph from a different aspect taken on your current visit.
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