The rear portion of the Thomas Homestead built in 1785 is the oldest house in present dayBellefonte. It was built by William Lamb, aprominent settler on the Pennsylvania frontier. He sold it to Thomas Gordon in 1788 who sold it to John Dunlop in 1795. The house was then purchased by William Thomas, another area ironmaster, who was a partner in the Valentine and Thomas Ironworks which took over the Dunlop estate after his untimely death in a mining accident. The Georgian front section was added and the property later renamed a The Wrena s Nest.a Locals believed a it was the fitting home of a very important man, an oasis of refinement in a comparatively rough countryside, a place of meeting for men planning the economic growth of this part of the State.a After many successful years in the iron production business William Thomas died in 1866.
