Cook, Anthony Wayne, Mansion
Why it's listed
Built around 1880 at Cooksburg in Forest County, Pennsylvania, the Anthony Wayne Cook Mansion is a Queen Anne style frame house with a hipped roof, a two-story tower, many dormers, a front gable and a one-story porch. Decorative shingles appear on the tower and gable ends, and four articulated chimneys add to its elaborate character. A two-story frame carriage house stands nearby, with two cupolas, an icehouse and chicken coops to the rear. The mansion sits in a large landscaped yard entered through three sets of stone gates. Cook family lumbering built the community, which grew from a sawmill founded by John Cook on land near the mouth of Tom's Creek on the Clarion River. Anthony Wayne Cook was president of the family's A. Cook Sons Company after 1891. The house is regarded as the largest and most elaborate in the community and was the hub of the family business during its boom years. Its wider significance also rests on the family's later role in conserving timber, which led to the Cook Forest State Park.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the mansion is significant for its direct association with the Cook family's lumber business and their role in regional politics and economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its Queen Anne massing, scale, detailing, landscaping and outbuilding complex are described as unusually elaborate for the small community. The family is also credited with helping shift local resource policy from exploitation toward conservation.
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 79002226, listed June 19, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | River Dr., Cooksburg |
|---|---|
| County | Forest County |
| Listed | June 19, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002226 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1880 |
| Architect / builder | Builder Anthony Wayne Cook |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The mansion is being restored by heirs of Anthony Wayne Cook. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 41.33129, -79.20522 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 79002226.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4773689
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.