THURSDAY, JUNE 08, 2006

National Historic Register

Some interesting facts about the National Register:

  • In Lancaster County, there are 212 sites (including us) on the National Register. By comparison, York has 92, Berks County has 130, and Lebanon has 24. (Chester County, though, has 313.)
  • 25 of Lancaster’s “sites” are railroad cars in Strasburg, 25 are covered bridges, and 24 are tobacco buildings.
  • Only 20 Lancaster sites have been added in the past 10 years.
  • The first sites listed in Lancaster were the James Buchanan House (1966), the Robert Fulton Birthplace (1966), the Stiegel-Coleman House (1966), Ephrata Cloister (1967), and the Fulton Opera House (1969).
  • Lancaster has five “National Historic Landmarks” — the James Buchanan House, the Robert Fulton Birthplace, the Stiegel-Coleman House, Ephrata Cloister, and the Fulton Opera House. (I once asked what it would take to be listed as a landmark, and was basically told “You had to be listed before 1970.”)
  • Other Lancaster B&Bs on the National Register: King’s Cottage (built 1913), B.F. Hiest and House (built 1887), Limestone Inn (built 1786), and Churchtown Inn (“18th century”). Forgotten Seasons B&B (built 1735) should be on the National Register, but isn’t.
  • Other Lancaster sites on the Register that are associated with the early ironmasters: Stiegel-Coleman House, Mount Hope Estate, Spring Grove Forge Mansion, Poole Forge, and Windsor Forge Mansion. (I understand Caernarvon Township bought Poole Forge last year and is trying to figure out what to do with it.)

So now that we’re recognized by the Lancaster County Historic Preservation Trust and the National Register of Historic Places, you’d think I’d be satisfied, but I’ve still got three more goals:

  • Be recognized as a Lancaster County Heritage resource.
  • Have the state erect an historic marker for James Old, the ironmaster who built Speedwell Forge.
  • Convince the state to give me the historic tax credits without requiring me to rebuild the back porch (which is really inappropriate for a colonial building)