Delaware County Council is pushing solutions to help preserve the historic Woodbourne Mansion off Springfield Road in Darby, writes Kathleen Carey for Daily Times.

The mansion was built in 1906 for Thomas A. Scott. He was Abraham Lincoln’s Assistant Secretary of War before becoming president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. His son, Edgar, commissioned the renowned architect Horace Trumbauer to build the 55-room neoclassical mansion.

Delaware County acquired the 37.5-acre property in Darby Borough for $1.7 million in 2016, after a seven-year-long process. Earlier this month, the council took several steps to secure the deteriorating building, while also moving forward with an evaluation to determine the cost of all the damage.

During a council meeting at the start of the month, funding for a historic structure report and the preservation plan for the mansion were unanimously approved. Council also approved another round of bids to secure the building’s roof enough to protect it from rain, while a structural evaluation takes place.

“What we’re trying to do is stop the infiltration of water,” said Jack Bierling, the county’s Director of Public Works.

Read more about the Woodbourne Mansion in the Daily Times by clicking here.

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