Cornwall Manor Celebrates 75 Years of Senior Living Excellence
Cornwall Manor, a continuing care retirement community located in Lebanon County, PA, was founded in 1949 by a group of Methodist clergy and laymen from the Philadelphia Conference of The United Methodist Church (now the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference), led by the Rev. Dr. Levi Zerr and Bishop Fred Pierce Corson, as a home for retired United Methodist clergy, their families and “other deserving persons.” On October 15, 1949, the first 11 residents moved into the Buckingham Mansion at The Methodist Church Home at Cornwall.
Today, Cornwall Manor’s campus spans over 195 acres and is home to 600 residents of diverse backgrounds and life experiences. During our 75 years, the mission of Cornwall Manor has not changed. We continue to offer diversified and high-quality housing, health care and related services for individuals to achieve a retirement and aging lifestyle they find fulfilling in a secure, caring and Christian environment. Remaining at the heart of our mission is benevolent care, the provision of assistance to those residents who have limited or depleted financial resources. Last year, Cornwall Manor’s total benevolent care commitment was over $2 million.
Cornwall Manor’s Buckingham Campus, which is the original 85-acre estate owned by generations of the Coleman family who owned and operated the Cornwall Iron Furnace, includes a variety of residential living accommodations among six apartment buildings and over 60 homes. The Buckingham Campus also features a chapel, library, walking trails, woodshop, model railroad room, thrift store, community center with meeting space and onsite dining, gift shop and convenience store, resident amenity space including a theater, recreational and craft rooms, club room with billiards tables; Wright Family Wellness Center with an indoor pool, therapeutic spa, and fitness center. A major renovation project was completed on Laurel Place apartments in 2023, which included adding a pitched roof to the building featuring one- and two-bedroom apartments, 8×10 patios and balconies and upgraded HVAC systems.
Also on the Buckingham Campus is Cornwall Manor’s onsite health care, which is comprised of outpatient therapy services, a wellness office, personal care and skilled nursing. Our personal care facility was renovated and expanded in 2019 to modernize the building and increase accommodations from 30 to 36. Cornwall Manor’s skilled nursing facility features 96 private rooms among four households that provides resident focused care.
Our expanded campus, The Woods at Cornwall Manor, is less than a mile from the Buckingham Campus and the two campuses intersect via the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail. The Woods, which is situated on 105 wooded acres, has 126 residential living homes among four neighborhoods. In 2021, Cornwall Manor and the Rodale Institute partnered to create an organic farm on the Cornwall Manor Woods campus, providing fresh, healthy, nutrient-dense organic vegetables and herbs for use in Cornwall Manor’s kitchens for all campus dining areas, including Corson Hall Personal Care and the Health Center. In 2023, a 3,840 square foot bank barn consisting of two levels to support farm operations was completed. Additionally, Trailside Organic Farm met the criteria to become certified organic under USDA standards in 2023. Cornwall Manor is the first retirement community to partner with the Rodale Institute.
As lifestyles and interests of our residents changed over the years, Cornwall Manor has added new programs and opportunities for residents to stay active and engaged. Artful Connections is a multifaceted arts program that contribute to healthy aging, making them an effective tool for addressing the wellness needs of older Americans who are living longer and healthier lives. This program piloted in 2022 and has continued in 2023 and 2024 with offerings such as glass mosaics, storytelling, drumming circles, drawing, pottery, watercolor, collage, metal embossing and more. Cornwall Manor is also the first retirement community to partner with Encore Creativity for Older Adults – the nation’s largest choral arts organization for adults 55 and over. With over 40 ensembles nationwide and over 1,500 singers (ages 55-99), Encore is a leading organization in the field of creative aging.
Cornwall Manor’s current President & CEO, Harry A. McConnell began his tenure in October 2022 as the retirement community’s seventh administrator. He brings a multitude of senior living experience from the Montgomery County area.
Throughout 2024, Cornwall Manor’s milestones include the groundbreaking for the Clubhouse at The Woods, which will expand amenities and services for all Cornwall Manor residents and incorporate indoor and outdoor dining venues, exercise and therapy areas, an auditorium with stage, theater, recreation and meeting space, lobby with reception area and more in a 24,000 structure. Other anniversary accomplishments include an evening with Vietnam Veteran and four-time Super Bowl Champion, Rocky Bleier in May to celebrate our 75th Anniversary and Older Americans Month and a concert with country singer/songwriter Jay Allen in August. Cornwall Manor was also voted Best Senior Living Community in the 2024 Lebanon Valley Choice Awards – our 14th consecutive year to receive this distinction!
