He was the first man to connect the Poconos with New York and Philadelphia via railroad. He founded the prestigious Lehigh University. He was a symbol of what one can do with enough intelligence and perseverance, and he made his home in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.
Even in present-day Jim Thorpe, known for its well-preserved historic architecture, the Asa Packer Mansion stands out. This 1861 Victorian Italianate villa still retains its original furnishings, including the gas-powered chandeliers of the day; it has the distinctive central cupola of a Victorian best viewed from the spiral staircase winding its way into it from the home’s interior. The mansion has 11,000 square feet of living space that befitted a man of Packer’s stature.
All of this is amazing, considering the mansion was actually closed for 44 years between 1912 and 1956. But each of its 18 rooms is stunning in its atmosphere and design, with an ornate library, a warm drawing room and a charming ladies’ parlor. Tours of the Asa Packer Mansion Museum are available seven days a week.
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Things to know:
Region: Pocono
Season: The Mansion is open weekends during April and May. The Mansion is open seven days a week from Memorial Day to October 31. The Mansion concludes daily operation after October 31, and will then be open weekends in November and the first two weekends in December, weather permitting. The Mansion is closed for winter maintenance during January, February and March.
Entrance fees : General Admission (Ages 19-54) $8.00 Senior Citizen (Ages 55+) $7.00 Student (Ages 6-18) $5.00 Child (Ages 5-Under)* Free
Fun facts: Mary Packer Cummings is the reason why The Mansion remains as part of local history today. In 1912, she willed her family's home and all its contents to the Borough of Mauch Chunk where it would remain as a memorial to her father and his accomplishments. At that time, however, the borough was not certain what to do with the home, and so, it was closed until 1956. In the forty-four years (almost half a century) that The Mansion remained closed, nothing was taken from the home; nothing was vandalized.
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