Eastern Pennsylvania Preservation Society

10/29/2026

2 years ago on this day, we lost our fight to save the Hood Mansion.

A passion for the preservation of the mansion started in 2017 with our Founder and President, and blossomed into a project that would bring our current board of directors together to form EPPS in 2019. The initial focus was to eventually purchase, restore, and reopen the mansion and its 117 acres to the public as open space, museum on the second floor, and events space on the first floor.

Recognizing there was many countless other endangered buildings in our area, the name & mission was broadened from Hood Mansion focused to the Eastern half of the state.

Continuing to fight hard, members of the board as well as our founder spent countless hours making phone calls, sending emails, and praying for a simple reply from the LLC which owned the site. This fight continued for 5 years, with virtually no success. Other projects came along - the Sterling Inn, Lynnewood Hall, Romig Farm, but the passion for the Hood Mansion never went away. One of those projects was successful, one is ongoing, and one we lost. We never intended to lose the fight for Hood - and we fought hard to make sure we didn’t go down without a fight. We initiated a grassroots effort to uncover human remains, to move the house off the property - literally anything we could think of to try and save the house.

Ultimately, the mansion was demolished for a data center project that still has yet to be approved (and hopefully won’t)

This past Sunday, we officially closed the book on the Hood Mansion project with the relocation of Captain Hood’s monument, and the remains recovered from the Hood family crypt.

Our founder and president, who first discovered Hood and fell in love with it, who created the nonprofit because of it, who brought that property into the light, and who was the first to find a human remain at the crypt, was the one to shovel the dirt over the small casket at the cemetery at the relocated monument, and close this chapter.

So much has changed since 2017 - but one thing that never will is that passion for historic preservation.

Thank you for reading, and for supporting us all these years.

There’s a well known Irish saying, we’d like to think maybe the Hoods used this frequently. Who knows.

“Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end.”

10/23/2026

We are happy to announce that we will be reinterring the remains of the Hood family this Sunday. Please stay tuned for a later public ceremony. Huge thank you to our Vice President, Kim Schumacher, for all her efforts the past few years with the remains, and also honorable mention to Schumacher & Benner Funeral Home & Crematory for handling and storing the remains in the meantime.

On Sunday, October 25th at 10:30 AM, the remains recovered from the Hood Family Crypt will be interred in front of the Hood Monument at the Limerick Church Burial Ground during a short ceremony.

This event is not being promoted to the public, but anyone with an interest in the Hood Mansion and efforts to save the house, monument and crypt; and the Limerick Church Burial Ground, the Limerick Township Historical Society, the Eastern Pennsylvania Preservation Society, the Boyertown Area Historical Society are invited to attend.

A publicly announced, formal Hood Monument Rededication Ceremony is being planned for the spring.

If attending this Sunday, please begin gathering at 10:15 AM.

10/20/2026

Huge thank you to MNM Roofing for their recent work on the roof at the Lodge at the Sterling Inn.

They installed a brand new EPDM rubber roof over the entire structure. This roof will last at least 50 years and protect the structure for generations to come.

There is still much work to be done, but this is a huge step in the right direction for one of the most historic buildings on the property.

10/12/2026

Huge thank you to my friends at Sagewood Landscape Contractors for coming up and donating some time on a zero turn cutting down some overgrowth at the Sterling Inn property!

While they are not local to the 18460 area, they are great for anyone in Montgomery County & surrounding areas.

Thank you Dan, Turner, and Gabe!

10/01/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Eastern Pennsylvania Preservation Society, a 501c3 nonprofit, is pleased to announce the start of a large scale roof replacement project at the Sterling Inn’s historic Lodge building.

The Lodge, also known as the Lancaster, was built circa 1878, with a major expansion and alteration in 1915. The building features an unusual variant of the craftsman style, with a flat roof which is also unusual for the Poconos.

MNM Roofing is tackling a roof replacement on the main structure, with no structural alterations. The new material used will be a 30 year EPDM - ensuring the structure is stabilized and secure for decades to come.

This project brings the stabilization of the historic structures on the Sterling Inn’s 115 acre property one step further.

06/07/2026

Sorry folks - we’ve been a bit backed up!

We did finish the structural stabilization project at the Sterling a couple weeks ago - just getting around to posting the pictures we took along the way.

Today’s post is highlighting the replacement framing + steel members that went in the Terrace Room as well as the kitchen wing.

Check back in a few days for the final end result!

05/30/2026

WELL… what do we have here?

During repairs to the kitchen wing at the Sterling Inn, workers discovered a little surprise hidden under the floor - a hand dug stone well!

We aren’t sure of the exact date, but are thinking likely pre - 1920, possibly earlier. We don’t have much information about the rear of the building to go off of.

Super, super cool find. We can’t wait to see what else we will uncover!

05/28/2026

This is such a fun annual event! Please stop in to show your support, and enjoy the festivities!

05/27/2026

Work continues this week at Sterling!

Today, workers from Woodledge Property Preservation began the interior demolition of the kitchen area, exposing some areas with damage. These areas will be reinforced, and a new floor will be built in this space.

Additionally, work continues in the Terrace room. Steel beams are in, and the joists are going in now.

05/23/2026

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Work continues on the Terrace Room at the Sterling Inn!

The new footers have been laid, steel beams have been installed, and the team from Woodledge Property Preservation is cruising along getting the joists installed!

All the while, work is progressing on the kitchen wing of the building.