The estate is located on Route 435 adjacent to the lands of St. Catherine’s Cemetery, and consists of forty acres, two large accessory buildings and the mansion itself. The mansion is a three story stone building with a full basement and attic. A portion of the first and second floors consisted of quarters for various staff members.

   The estate was built in 1926 and was originally owned by a prominent coal company litigation attorney named M. J. Martin, who sold it to Mr. Robert Moffat Sr. in 1952. The family owned several homes in the area, but this estate quickly became their primary residence. Mr. Robert Moffat Sr. was the principal owner of the Moffat Coal Company (the area’s largest anthracite coal company). An exceptional businessman, he developed several successful businesses, including a well-known local dairy business called Gracey Farms. He was infatuated with gurnsey cattle and although Gracey Farms was started as a hobby, it soon became a thriving lucrative business with milk and ice cream parlors located throughout the Scranton area.

   In 1942 at the peak of production, the Moffat Coal Company had 4,200 employees (all men) and produced one hundred and fifty (150) million tons of coal. (It is interesting to note that at this time the Moffat Coal Company was one of the largest employers in the state.) The average pay schedule for miners in 1942 was exceptionally high at twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per week. Consequently, the phrase "pay day at the Moffat" meant a great deal to local storeowners and merchants.

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