Colebrook Iron Master's House
Also known as: Colebrook Mansion; Colebrook Estate
Why it's listed
Built of locally quarried brownstone in the late Georgian style, the house at Colebrook stands on the southwest corner of Manheim and Elizabethtown Roads in South Londonderry Township, Lebanon County. Its construction dates to about 1791 to 1796, with the original two-and-a-half-story block completed first and a south addition following. The house, a half-Georgian double-pile plan with symmetrical six-over-six windows and a fanlight entrance, is grouped with a stable, kitchen house, spring house, privy and carriage shed. A cast iron fence encloses much of the grouping. The complex was built to serve the Colebrook Furnace, which was established in 1791 and whose furnace stack and industrial buildings were removed by 1860. The house is regarded as a locally significant example of late Georgian design, and its surviving group of eighteenth-century domestic buildings is the main reason for its listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house and its grouped outbuildings, including the stable, kitchen house, spring house, privy, carriage shed and cast iron fence, represent a functional and well-crafted example of late Georgian architecture in rural Lebanon County. The complex is described as stylistically coordinated and largely retains its eighteenth-century setting and feeling.
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 10000405, listed June 28, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5200 Elizabethtown Rd, South Londonderry |
|---|---|
| County | Lebanon County |
| Listed | June 28, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000405 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1791-1796 |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 40.23994, -76.51248 (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 10000405.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5142708
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.