{"nrhp_refnum":"11000924","name":"Sharpless Homestead","other_names":["Radley Farm"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1045 Birmingham Rd. (Birmingham Township)","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Chester","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":39.920921891000035,"lon":-75.60546400199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-12-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural farmstead in the northeast part of Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, about two miles south of West Chester, comprising four serpentine stone buildings (house, springhouse, smokehouse and stable) built about 1790 to 1860 on a 4.8-acre wooded hillside along Birmingham Road.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the homestead clearly demonstrates the evolution of the vernacular serpentine stone building tradition in Chester County, moving from folk-style rubble masonry to more refined dressed stone. It also cites the complex's craftsmanship for the area and its association with the Sharpless and Davis families, including Quaker figures and events of the Battle of the Brandywine.","narrative":"Four serpentine stone buildings sit on a terraced, south-facing hillside east of Birmingham Road, about two miles south of West Chester. The house was built in stages, beginning with a section dated around 1790 and attributed to Joshua Sharpless, who bought the farm in 1784. An east section dates to about 1820 in the Late Federal style, and a northeast section is dated to 1831 by a datestone. In 1860, Aaron Sharpless rebuilt the west end in dressed serpentine stone with a hexagonal datestone and Greek Revival window muntins. The stone springhouse, smokehouse and stable are also part of the complex. The property is significant as a clear example of Chester County's serpentine stone vernacular tradition, showing the shift from rough rubble walls to finer dressed work. Its association with Quaker leaders, including Joshua Sharpless's work at Westtown School, adds to its importance.","period_of_significance":"C. 1790-1860","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Early Republic Federal; Late Federal (east section); Greek Revival detailing","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:10:27.583565-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/11000924.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000924/9b9556d8b2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000924/9b9556d8b2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SHARPLESS_HOMESTEAD.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SHARPLESS_HOMESTEAD.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994690","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpless_Homestead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7490408"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/sharpless-homestead-11000924/"}