The Kennedy Mansion, at the eastern edge of Valley Forge National Historical Park, was built in 1852 by John Kennedy as an Italian villa-style residence. From 1911 to 1936, the mansion was owned by the Supplee family. In 1978, the National Park Service acquired the mansion through eminent domain and eventually placed it on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1986, a 55-year lease with the park service was signed, the building was restored, and it became home to the Kennedy-Supplee Mansion Restaurant until a 2005 bankruptcy. The mansion remains vacant and neglected in spite of its fine architectural characteristics and significance as one of the few remaining structures to survive the decline of the lime and blast furnaces of Port Kennedy.
Fact published 7/15/16 Upper Merion Township E-Newsletter