History

Using natural lumber and fieldstone from local quarries, the men spent the years 1935 to 1937 building Hirshhorn’s stone chateau with care and distinction. The roof is made of imported Spanish slate, the windows are all leaded glass and much of the interior wood is pecky cypress and cedar. The manor has an elegant Romanesque arched entrance way and massive stone fireplaces in the Great Room, now used as the Dining Room.

Upon its completion, Hirshhorn filled the home with part of his vast art collection. Many of the artisans and craftsmen settled in the area, and their descendants continue to live here. Hirshhorn (who eventually donated much of his collection to the Smithsonian) eventually sold his home to Samuel H. Kress.

One of Joseph Hirshhorn’s daughters, Naomi Hirshhorn Campbell (AKA the “Old Lady of the Hills”) kindly posted some great “Then and Now” photos of what her family lovingly called the “Huckleberry Hill Farm”, now known as The French Manor Inn & Spa. Visit her blog here.

Biographical references to Samuel Henry Kress (1863-1955) typically divide his life into three distinct phases: the hard-won struggles of his youth in rural Pennsylvania, the brilliance of his mercantile success with the S.H. Kress & Co. variety stores, and the extraordinary philanthropy associated with his incomparable collection of Italian art. Once common knowledge, the Kress story epitomized American opportunity and the virtues of stern discipline, vigorous hard work, and patriotic generosity. Upon his death, his wife gave the manor and its vast grounds to Bucknell University. Bucknell used the manor briefly for art restoration but eventually sold it to a developer who broke up the estate into smaller parcels. Dan and Carolyn Balish bought the manor house and the land around it and opened it up as a bed and breakfast in 1984.

They have endeavored to keep the elegant flavor of the manor while making subtle and important changes. The kitchen was upgraded to accommodate dinner service and the unoccupied Carriage House was remodeled into a guesthouse with two rooms and two suites. Most recently the Logan’s constructed the La Maisonneuve building (meaning the New House in French), which now houses six romantic suites each with a fireplace, whirlpool tub and a private balcony with the view of the Northern Pocono Mountains.