{"nrhp_refnum":"83002284","name":"Ricketts, Clemuel, Mansion","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off PA 487","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lopez","county":"Sullivan County","state":"PA","lat":41.35205675650005,"lon":-76.3200684716108,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one-half story field sandstone mansion in a remote wilderness setting near Lake Ganoga in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, built by Clemuel Ricketts with an L-shaped plan and a 1913 addition. A large frame barn and a stuccoed brick utility building stand on the property.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an outstanding example of late Georgian vernacular architecture, built in a very remote area by a builder whose tenacity is seen in the project. It also links the property to the North Mountain House hotel, an early summer camp for boys, and a 1935 Historic American Buildings Survey documentation.","narrative":"Built of field sandstone in a clearing surrounded by forest in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, the Ricketts Mansion was completed in 1852 by Clemuel Ricketts, who had bought 5,000 acres around Long Pond, now Ganoga Lake, to build a hunting and fishing lodge. The two and one-half story house has a gable roof, a five-by-two bay main section, and a full-length front porch with a Federal entrance. Locals called it Ricketts' Folly during construction, but it was regarded as a fine example of Georgian vernacular architecture in a remote area. After the Civil War, Colonel Robert Bruce Ricketts acquired the house and expanded the estate. A 1913 addition added a wing and dormers. The mansion is significant for its architecture, its early use as a tavern and residence, and its link to a nearby hotel and one of the first summer camps for boys in the region.","period_of_significance":"1852","architect_builder":"Clemuel Ricketts","architectural_style":"Georgian vernacular","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Retains original woodwork and hardware; plumbing and electricity were updated after 1913.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.139061-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/83002284.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002284/686b216a4d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002284/686b216a4d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Own photo","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stone_House_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Own photo</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stone_House_2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996311","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemuel_Ricketts_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5131595"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/sullivan-county/ricketts-clemuel-mansion-83002284/"}