Historic Preservation Trust scrambles to find location for Patch Mansion

With demolition planned for the historic Donaghmore/Patch Mansion, the Historic Preservation Trust of Lebanon County is on a tight timeline to find a new location for the structure.

In an interview with trust president Janice Morrissey and board member Laura Kise, the two explained that the trust is interested in purchasing the mansion and relocating it, at the cost of the trust.

Lebanon School District, which purchased the former Lebanon Catholic High School property for $5.25 million in May, awarded bids on Nov. 17 for demolition of structures (including the mansion) on the property. The bid request included an alternate deduction from base bid relating to the demolition of the mansion, though this alternate was not explicitly awarded.

Read More: Lebanon school board OKs $5.25 million purchase of Lebanon Catholic property

Lebanon superintendent Dr. Nicole Malinoski explained in an email exchange that the school board “is willing to allow the trust to remove the mansion from the property as long as it does not interfere with the demolition timeline.”

She also provided a rough timeline, noting that demolition is planned to start after abatement is complete. Final completion of abatement is estimated for Dec. 26, whereas demolition is expected to be completed by March 13.

Now, the trust is looking for a site willing to house the historic structure, which was built in the mid-1800s and went on to house Captain Alexander Patch and family. Patch, one of only two active U.S. Army officers to command a division, corps, and field army during World War II, became known internationally for his contributions to the war effort.

Read More: [Letter] Preservationists make final plea to save General Patch’s boyhood home

“We understand that the school board has their own agenda and they have the right to do what they need to do, but we just feel that, if we don’t try to save these finite resources, regret only goes one way and we think that we’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Kise. “If you think about it, Americans today, we’ve become really poor students of history, and then when you get down to local history, people seem to know even less.

“I think part of the reason we’re so passionate about this is it’s a lot easier to help people understand how we got here today, and the people who brought us here today, if we have those tangible reminders. And that’s why we’re really trying to make something happen here.”

Read More: Lebanon Catholic property contains the Donaghmore Mansion and the historic Patch estate

At first, the trust was interested in relocating the building to a corner of the former Lebanon Catholic property and purchasing that area, though Morrissey said the board has not taken action on this offer.

Morrissey said the trust has been in discussions with the Lebanon County Historical Society, owners of the Union Canal Tunnel Park, but they were not able to offer space for the building.

Now, the trust hopes to obtain permission from North Cornwall Township to house the mansion on township property, such as Gloninger Woods Park or the area by the township building.

Read More: John Gloninger and his lasting legacy in North Cornwall Township

On Nov. 18, supervisors Ronald Sell and Mike Wahmann opted not to make a decision on the trust’s request, though they agreed to revisit the topic while vice chairman William Yeagley is present at the board’s Dec. 2 meeting.

Among the concerns of chairman Mike Wahmann were the unclear timeline for the project (with trust members, at that time, not being aware of the demolition timeline) and the future and maintenance of the mansion after it is transported.

Read More: N. Cornwall supes punt on Patch mansion vote amid unclear funding and timeline

Kise said they hope the mansion could be used as a museum, with portions rentable to the public and/or community groups.

“The goal would be to have it not solely be a museum to its history — which is very important, obviously there’s a lot of history related to that and the area that it resides in — but we would like it to be self-sustaining in other ways, and be used as an event space, a community space,” said Kise. “Whether the township chooses to also include it as part of their formal buildings or not, it would be available to the public that we could rent it out for events and things like that. It would be a multi-purpose place.”

However, the trust does not have the funds on hand to undergo this endeavor immediately. Current funds will cover the purchase and movement of the building, as well as the placement of a new foundation and other expenses incurred by the move.

“Obviously, it’s going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars that we will ultimately need,” said Morrissey. “So there’s certain things that we would want to do initially and certain things that can wait to be done.”

The trust maintains the Chestnut Street Log House, Light’s Fort, Lindley Murray School, and Monroe Valley Chapel. Morrissey said the trust pays costs largely through fundraising.

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For now, Morrissey said, the Patch Mansion is not falling apart, noting that she had visited the mansion to receive an estimated cost for its movement. If plans to move the mansion go through, the trust will also need permission from North Cornwall Township and possibly the City of Lebanon to prohibit street parking on certain roads the day of the move.

Kise said that Alex Patch, a descendent of General Patch, has communicated to the trust that the family may be willing to supply some initial funding for the building’s preservation.

North Cornwall Township plans to further deliberate on this matter at its meeting Dec. 2.