Cornwall Manor Retirement Community was founded in 1949 by a group of United Methodist Clergy and Laymen from the Philadelphia Conference of The United Methodist Church (now the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference) as a home for retired United Methodist clergy and their families. This year, 2024, marks our 75th anniversary of providing diversified and high-quality housing, healthcare, and related services to older adults. We are proud to be a leader in the senior living industry and look forward to celebrating this milestone.
The estate was purchased from descendants of the Coleman family, who had owned and operated the Cornwall Iron Furnace, which is now a tourist site operated by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission. The Buckingham Estate, as it had been called, became home to 11 residents, who all lived in the beautiful 200-year-old, 29-room mansion that is still the centerpiece of the campus (pictured). The retirement community was originally called the Methodist Church Home at Cornwall.
Cornwall Manor’s many historic buildings include the Buckingham Mansion, built circa 1773 and which has been renovated to include seven residential apartments, a reading room and a music room; a former Carriage House, which now serves as a residential building and fitness center; and a former Paymaster’s Building, which is now a resident art studio and meeting area. The combination of these, along with a Wellness Center and swimming pool, and houses and apartment buildings of varying styles, truly result in a campus look and feel.
