{"nrhp_refnum":"08000521","name":"Knauss, Heinrich, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"152 E. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Emmaus","county":"Lehigh County","state":"PA","lat":40.54439822000006,"lon":-75.48462705699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-06-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story corner post and plank house in the Borough of Emmaus, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, on a 15.39-acre community park. It was built in 1777 by Heinrich Knauss, son of Emmaus founder Sebastian Knauss.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an exceptionally well-preserved example of the Continental House plan, a German-derived type built around an internal chimney with a kuche, stube and kammer. It is described as one of the best-preserved examples of this plan in the Lehigh Valley. Its original interior finishes, sashes, doors and hardware are cited as key evidence of integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1777 by Heinrich Knauss on a two hundred acre tract his father Sebastian Knauss bought in 1747, this two-story corner post and plank house stands in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Its plan follows the Continental House type, a German-derived layout organized around an internal chimney with a kitchen, parlor and bedroom, plus a vestibule-like fourth room that separates visitors from the working kitchen. The house kept the Knauss family for 158 years, and Mary Ellen Knauss lived there from 1866 until her death in 1935. Much of the interior survives from the 18th century, including original random-width pine floors, six-panel doors, wrought iron strap hinges and decorative locks, and painted second-floor partitions. The house is regarded as one of the best-preserved examples of the Continental House plan in the Lehigh Valley. Since 2003 it has been run as a house museum by the Knauss House Preservation Society, which was incorporated in 1993.","period_of_significance":"1777","architect_builder":"Knauss, Heinrich","architectural_style":"COLONIAL","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Vacant for the last thirty-seven years after occupation ended in 1970; restored in a limited campaign in 2002-2003 and operated as a house museum.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:10:27.421336-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/08000521.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995461","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q139745090"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lehigh-county/knauss-heinrich-house-08000521/"}