Located on nearly 600 acres of the Brokenstraw Valley near Youngsville, PA, the Rouse Estate stands as a tribute to one of Pennsylvania's little-known heroes of the oil boom. In 1861, at age 37, Henry R. Rouse had already achieved more success than other men twice his age. He was a self-made man, having been a good teacher, entrepreneur, and a mercantile success. His random acts of kindness, civic spirit, leadership, and honesty earned him the respect of his community, and election to two terms in the state legislature.
Only weeks after the world's first oil well was brought in at nearby Titusville, Henry Rouse was in the thick of the fledgling industry. Then, on the evening of April 17th, 1861, a breathless workman ran to Mr. Rouse to tell him to come quickly, because they'd "hit a big one". According to the best accounts of the time, the "big one" was the world's first legitimate gusher.
Henry and the others stood around wondering how to control this phenomenon. Exactly what happened next remains one of history's unanswered questions. In any case, there was an explosion and a fire, and Mr. Rouse was burned severely over most of his body.
Somehow in the last five hours of his life, he managed to dictate a detailed will in which he provided for the establishment of what today is The Rouse Estate. Within a few years of Mr. Rouse's death, land had been purchased, a building raised, and Mr. Rouse's dream of caring for "the poor" was on its way to being realized.
Today there is very little about the Estate to remind anyone of those simple beginnings. A marble monument erected to Mr. Rouse's honor and memory in 1865 still stands, but is surrounded by the manicured lawns and modern structure of the Rouse Home. The Home is a nursing facility that continues to win recognition for the Estate.
Adjacent to the Home is The Rouse Children's Center, a developmental day care center for kids. It serves the employees of The Rouse Estate and the community at large, and is viewed as one of the best facilities of its type in the area.
A pleasant walk down Rouse Avenue is The Suites at Rouse. Its 60 apartments of assisted living fills yet another social need for those seeking to maintain independence while receiving the degree of help they need.
This is The Rouse Estate: a community of caring engendered by the dream of a man who cared.
