West Hill Manor

Tours by appointment
Open on the third Sunday of each month from 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Special events include Civil War encampments with period music and cannon demonstrations, Colonial Day with period games, a spinning wheel, make-your-own ice cream, and Holiday Open Houses for Christmas and Thanksgiving
All events are family friendly and include guided tours
Additional lectures and special events offered throughout the year

ADA accessible on the first floor
Restrooms
On-site parking
Group tours

Free

West Hill Manor

1114 Oxmead Road, Burlington Township, NJ 08016

856-768-0312

westhillnj.org

West Hill Manor was built between 1797 and 1799 by Samuel and Susanna Emlen, both from prominent Quaker families. It is an elegant, well-preserved local example of the Federal style of architecture as interpreted by wealthy Quakers at the turn of the nineteenth century. Most of the interior features are original, including its 11 fireplaces. The property has also been continually farmed since 1799.

In 1814, Susanna Emlen developed breast cancer and underwent surgery at West Hill Manor by renowned University of Pennsylvania physicians Dr. Philip Syng Physick, Head of Surgery, Dr. John Syng Dorsey, author of the first American textbook on surgery, and Dr. Casper Wister, Head of Anatomy. Susanna was one of the earliest breast cancer surgery survivors in the United States. Her letters to her father give visitors a firsthand account of the ordeal from a woman's point of view. In 1851, the home was purchased by Eliza Gurney, an avid abolitionist and social reformer. The Quaker minister visited President Lincoln in 1862 to assure him of the support of Quakers in his leadership of the Civil War and asked Eliza to corresponded with the President. Her first letter was found in his jacket pocket upon his death.