The three members of the Black Flag Family gang - including a former volunteer firefighter - knew exactly what they were doing when they allegedly tried to burn down a 237-year-old piece of Bucks County history, police said Tuesday.
Fortunately, they didn't succeed.
While the interior of the unique Croydon Lodge - once home to a Revolutionary War-era British officer - is damaged, the outside of the structure is still sound, said Bob Pritz, president of Holland Enterprises, a developer.
The three Levittown men, Nicholas Ricciardi, 21, Dennis Rose, and Michael Kurfuss, both 19, have been charged with arson, conspiracy, burglary, criminal trespass and other related crimes. They were all being held at the Bucks County jail after failing to post bail.
The three have been in custody since late February, when they were charged with an alleged armed robbery in Bristol Township.
On Feb. 22, Ricciardi, a former Bristol Township volunteer firefighter, and his two accomplices allegedly placed a paint-soaked T-shirt on a box of wooden staircase spindles in a storage closet under the main staircase, according to court records. By igniting the fire under the stairs, it would quickly spread throughout the house.
Police said the trio intended to destroy the mansion.
"It is sad and frustrating when people just don't appreciate history, particularly spectacular pieces of the past that are irreplaceable," said Jeffrey Marshall, president of the Heritage Conservancy, a regional historic preservation and land conservation organization.
The lodge was a magnificent property in the day, Marshall said.
In 1763, British Major Thomas Barnsley bought the 537-acre estate of James Coulter. The structure is rare in this area - more like manor homes in Virginia or Britain, rather than the Quaker style of Bucks County.
The brick-and-stone house with the Georgian facade and hip roof has a grand foyer, parlor, dining area and dirt floor basement. There are six rooms on the second floor and three garrets, or small living spaces in the attic, according to information compiled by Marshall.
Pritz said the manor home would make a good law office or similar business. The building is not on the historic registry, which gives the new owner more latitude to make renovations.
Contact staff writer Mari A. Schaefer at 610-313-8111, [email protected] or @MariSchaefer on Twitter.
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