Asa Packer Mansion Museum

The Mansion was the home of philanthropist, railroad magnate, and founder of Lehigh University, Asa Packer.  Built in 1861 by Philadelphia architect, Samuel Sloan, the home was constructed over a span of two years and cost a total of $14,000 dollars.  Topped by a red-ribbed tin roof and a central cupola, or belvedere, the home was built over a cast iron frame and consists of 3 stories, 18 rooms and approximately 11,000 square feet of living space. Mary Packer Cummings, Asa Packer's daughter, is the reason why The Mansion remains as part of local history today.  In 1912, she willed her family's home and all its contents to the Borough of Mauch Chunk where it would remain as a memorial to her father and his accomplishments.  At that time, however, the borough was not certain what to do with the home, and so, it was closed until 1956.