March 9, 2009

• I Got a Mansion Just Over the Hilltop

  Two miles from paved-road sanity, is a mansion that overlooks a valley in Pennsylvania that made its money from oil. Small oil wells still exist in the Franklin and Oil City area.
  

  Most people know the mansion as the Sibley mansion, built by Joseph Sibley in 1913. Joseph made his money in oil and in the 1890′s was elected to the House of Representatives. Standard Oil’s John D. Rockefeller and President McKinley were both his friends, and McKinley was assassinated when riding in Sibley’s private rail car. Sibley called his mansion River Ridge.

  Ironically, the gorgeous estate with its vast orchards and experimental farming became the site of his own imprisonment when Sibley was convicted of unethical business practices.

  
  Today, the mansion is owned by a Christian ministry who rents it out for retreats and pastoral types seeking refreshment. The rates are very reasonable. My understanding is that the contact person is Rich Tygert, P.O. Box 311 Franklin, PA 16323.

  The youth in our presbytery attend a Sprinter retreat on the grounds once each spring. This weekend, L attended, and I borrowed some pix from his friends’ Facebook and another source. LOL

      
  ||||||  lynard

  • 12:01 am
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