The Potts Family Legacy

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottsgrove Manor.

Historic Pottsgrove Manor will open a new exhibit, “Pride of Place: The Local Legacy of the Potts Family,” next Saturday, March 7.

This year, the Borough of Pottstown celebrates its 200th anniversary.

By the time of its incorporation in 1815, the town’s namesake, John Potts, was long gone, but the legacy of the Potts family lived on in the region. 

The “Pride of Place” exhibit, which runs through Nov. 8, will highlight the contributions of later generations of the Potts family to local history — and to preserving Pottsgrove Manor itself.

Lectures on the history of the Potts and Rutter families and the local iron industry that they built will help to kick off the exhibit. 

• On March 7 at 1 p.m:  Pottsgrove Manor’s Site Supervisor will give a presentation on the locations of the early ironworks and other properties integral to the Potts/Rutter dynasty entitled “Putting Down Roots: Mapping the Early Potts Family.” The lecture will be followed by a guided tour of the museum’s new exhibit. 
• On March 21 at 1 p.m.: Historian Dan Graham will talk about how the early iron works that the Potts and Rutter families founded and built in the Manatawny region paved the way for Pottstown’s later reputation as a powerhouse in the iron and steel industries with “From Bloomery Forges to Steel Mills.” A guided tour of the exhibit will be available after this lecture as well.

The “Pride of Place” exhibit can also be viewed during a guided tour of Pottsgrove Manor during regular museum hours through Nov. 8: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

Tours begin on the hour. 

The last tour of the day begins at 3 p.m. There is a $2 per person suggested donation for the tour.

Pottsgrove Manor is located at 100 West King Street near the intersection of King Street and Route 100, just off Route 422, in Pottstown.

Pottsgrove Manor is operated by Montgomery County under the direction of the Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites Division of the Assets and Infrastructure Department. 

For more information, please call 610-326-4014, or visit the website at www.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor. Like Pottsgrove Manor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pottsgrovemanor.