History

Pickering Manor is the only non-profit retirement facility in Pennsylvania owned and operated by the community. Pickering Manor was started through the generosity of H. Russell Pickering.  He was a humble and modest man who loved the people of Newtown.

Honoring the memory of Henry Russell Pickering

It all started with a Henry Russell Pickering – a generous man who loved Newtown and its people.

Mr. Pickering was born in Titusville, PA on October 15, 1862.  His father was a Captain in Company K 104th Regimental Pennsylvania Volunteers War of 1861.  His father founded the Acme Oil Co. and Keystone Refining Co. which were eventually taken over by Standard Oil of NJ. Mr. Pickering’s mother Anna Barnsley was from Newtown.  

Mr. Pickering’s mother purchased the home that was to become Pickering Manor and lived there with her son Russell until her death on January 3, 1908. After his mother’s death, Russell Pickering continued to live in this home until he died in 1955.  He never married nor had any children.  

Mr. Pickering is remembered as a quiet, gentle, and modest man.  He was well read and could discuss many subjects at length.  He was an active member of St. Luke’s Church. He loved his town and supported many groups including the Youth Center and the CRHS football team.

As he aged, Mr. Pickering suffered from failing eyesight and in 1954 he fell and broke his hip.  He was taken to Abington Hospital and then to Langhorne Manor Nursing Home where he died on December 7, 1955 at the age of 93.  

Russell Pickering is buried in St. Luke’s cemetery.  He was survived by his niece Beatrix Lockhart and his cousins Miss Elizabeth Chambers and Edward Barnsley, a well known local historian.
 
Mr. Pickering was generous to the town he loved.  He left money to all the churches, to the library, the Fire Company, the Friends Home, George School, Newtown Branch of the Red Cross. He also left the ball field to the Newtown Borough.  

While the bulk of his estate went to his niece Mrs. Lockhart, his residence and a trust fund of $200,000 was left to the community for a Nursing Home. It was his wish that senior citizens of Newtown be taken care of.

To learn more about Pickering’s History, click here for a timeline.