Printzhof, The
Also known as: Governor Printz Park
Why it's listed
Tinicum Island, now part of the mainland at Essington, was the seat of the colony of New Sweden from 1643 to 1654. Governor Johan Printz built Fort New Gothenburg there, with a log house for himself called the Printzhof, along with a chapel, a storehouse and a brewery. The Printzhof was made of hewn logs and fitted with brick fireplaces and chimneys of Swedish brick, Swedish lumber and glass windows, making it an unusually luxurious residence for the period. A fire in the winter of 1645 destroyed much of the settlement, and Printz rebuilt the capital on a larger scale. Rivalry with the Dutch of New Netherland, including the construction of Fort Casimir, shaped the colony's final years before its capture by Stuyvesant. The surviving stone foundations of the Printzhof, uncovered by excavation in 1937, are now the only visible remains of the settlement and lie within a public park along the Delaware River. The site is significant as the place where European settlement in the region began to take a durable form.
Significance in brief: The site is the location of the capital of New Sweden from 1643 to 1654, described as the first permanent European settlement in what became the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Printzhof was a log residence built with imported Swedish brick, lumber and glass, and is regarded as one of the most elaborate structures in the New World at the time. Archeological excavation in 1937 uncovered its stone foundations, the only visible remains of the settlement.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 66000661, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Taylor Ave. and 2nd St., Essington |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000661 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1643-54 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated November 5, 1961 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Ruins; foundations uncovered by archeological excavation in 1937 and contained within Governor Printz Park. |
| Acreage | 7 |
| Coordinates | 39.86150, -75.30328 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 66000661.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7758363
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.