{"nrhp_refnum":"73001606","name":"Uwchlan Meetinghouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N. Village Ave. (Rte. 113)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lionville","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.05447060200004,"lon":-75.65995406999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-09-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½ story rubble fieldstone Friends meetinghouse with a gable roof and end chimneys, located at Lionville in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The present structure was erected in 1756.","why_significant":"The nomination ties the building to the early Welsh Friends settlement of the area, whose meeting first gathered in a private home in 1712. It also cites the division between Hicksite and Orthodox Friends in 1828, when both groups used the building, and its use as a hospital for the American army during the winter at Valley Forge in 1778. The form describes it as significant in Chester County and Pennsylvania history.","narrative":"Uwchlan Meeting House, a 2½ story fieldstone meetinghouse with a gable roof and end chimneys, was erected in 1756 near Lionville in Chester County. Its name derives from the early Welsh settlers and is said to mean 'upper land,' reflecting its position relative to the Great Chester Valley. The Welsh Friends of the village first met at the home of John Cadwalloder in 1712 before the building was raised. The meetinghouse was used by both Hicksite and Orthodox Friends after the group separated in 1828, with the Orthodox occupying the northeast side until 1894 and the Hicksites the west side until 1900. In 1778 the American army used the structure as a hospital during the winter at Valley Forge, staffed by Surgeon Dr. Bodo Otto. In the early twentieth century it also served as a public hall and school. Its significance rests on these religious, medical and community associations in the county's history.","period_of_significance":"1756","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.764929-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/73001606.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001606/c505a24ac3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001606/c505a24ac3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uwchlan_Meeting.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uwchlan_Meeting.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"80003459","name":"Lionville Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/lionville-historic-district-80003459/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996284","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uwchlan_Meetinghouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7903811"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/uwchlan-meetinghouse-73001606/"}