Brinton Lodge is a 300-year-old landmark in Douglassville, Berks County. The site's unusual architecture, eccentric history, and local legends are now being preserved for the community to enjoy.
Nestled along a country road in Berks County, Pennsylvania, just west of Pottstown, Brinton Lodge has a storied history beginning in the 1700s. The original structure, now enveloped by the current building, was a small farmhouse built by the Millards, one of the area's earliest families who purchased the land from William Penn.
The site changed hands in 1796 to become the Kirlin homestead, whose livelihood included making ammunition for the War of 1812. Several years later, the Schuylkill River Canal ran through the property, and rumors circulated that the site was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
In the early 1900s, the Wittmans, a wealthy family with ties to the Philadelphia iron industry, purchased the property and lavishly expanded the farmhouse to an opulent 28 room mansion. When the site came under the ownership of Reading hotelier Caleb Brinton during Prohibition, it became an exclusive gentleman's club. As legend has it, Brinton hand-picked his guests, letting in only the rich and famous from near and far.