Cornwall Manor Retirement Community Celebrates 75 Years
CORNWALL, Pa. (October 9, 2024)—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 in Cornwall.
Signing the agreement of sale, February 1949
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, 8x10 patios and balconies, and upgraded HVAC systems.
Photos left to right: Open House, 1962; Freeman Community Center after completed renovations, August 2018
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 provide resident-focused care.
As the lifestyles and interests of our residents have 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 contributes to healthy aging, making it an effective tool for addressing the wellness needs of older Americans who are living longer and healthier lives. This program was 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.