Built for Dr. Bernardhus Van Leer, it is one of the last historical dwellings in Marple Township, Pennsylvania.

[1][2] The original structure belonged to an estate owned by the Van Leer family who immigrated from Germany in 1698.

[3][4] The land passed to the Van Leer family in 1720 or 1721,[2] and Dr. Bernardhus Van Leer built the house with the help of his father-in-law, ironmaster William Branson, in c.

[2][5] According to local historian Lucy Simler it was sometimes called the Black Mansion or the Van Leer mansion; she reported that it had been speculated that it was built on the site of or taken material from an earlier building on the site built by the Stanfield family.

[2][6] A nearby log cabin, located on Conestoga High School, was also owned by the Van Leer family and used as an Underground Railroad station.