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View of the Dorrance Mansion
from Radcliffe Street
Photograph from National Register collection
View of the five-story
tower at the rear of Dorrance Mansion
Photograph from National Register collection
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The Dorrance Mansion, in the Bristol Historic District, is
one of the grandest homes along Radcliffe Street in Bristol
Borough, Bucks County. Finished in 1863, it is a distinctive
example of residential Italianate architecture and the only
example in the borough. Its elegant style represents the lavish
life of the early Victorian industrialists making Bristol
their home. The brick mansion is erected on a random coursed
fieldstone foundation at river level. The five-story center
tower on the rear facade adds a distinctive feature to the
house. The home remains nearly unchanged since its construction,
with a symmetrical front facade and proportionally decreasing
windows on the upper floors, creating the illusion of greater
height.
John Dorrance, Sr., owner of Bristol Mills, built the mansion
while living across the street. Dorrance was active in local
commerce, improvement projects, and borough government from
1835 to 1860. Dorrance came to Bristol in the 1820s and purchased
an interest in the Bristol Mills which dated back to 1701.
He eventually bought out his partners to become sole owner.
Prior to the Civil War, the mill supplied large amounts of
corn meal to the South and the West Indies. When Dorrance's
sons sold the mill, following his death, the property was
comprised of grist and saw mills, a lumber yard, canal stables,
coal sheds, a blacksmith shop, a store, two dwellings and
a mill race and pond. Although Dorrance built the mansion
toward the end of his illustrious career and only lived there
for six years before his death, it is the one extant building
with the closest association with him and his business career.
After his death in 1869, the home remained in the family until
1921 when it was acquired by the Bristol Knights of Columbus.
In 1982, it became a private residence again. The Dorrance Mansion is located at 300 Radcliffe St.,
in Bristol. The Dorrance Mansion is not open to the public. |