{"nrhp_refnum":"74001814","name":"Dorsey, Joseph, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"113 Cherry Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Brownsville","county":"Washington County","state":"PA","lat":40.02068556800003,"lon":-79.92310023499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-11-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, four-bay stone Georgian-style house in East Bethlehem Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, built as the core of an early plantation. It is described as a Maryland house form transplanted to Western Pennsylvania.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a superb example of the Post Colonial style found in Western Pennsylvania, combining Georgian, Roman Classical and Adamesque forms in a vernacular manner. It is said to be remarkably intact inside and out, and to reflect the Southern, slave-labor-based plantation economy of the early region.","narrative":"Built around 1787 in East Bethlehem Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, the Joseph Dorsey House is a two-story, four-bay house of random rubble stone with squared, dressed quoins. Its builder was born in Elliott Mills, Maryland, and settled in the area, eventually acquiring 1,500 acres, much of it farmed by enslaved laborers. The house served as the nucleus of an early plantation. Its entrance is notable for fluted pilasters, a cornice with modillions and dentils, and a semi-circular fanlight that retains most of its original glass. The interior paneling, wainscoting, mantels and cabinets on both floors survive in very good condition. A one-story brick wing dating from about 1830 was added at the southwest end. The house is regarded as an exceptional example of the Post Colonial style found in Western Pennsylvania, where vernacular builders combined Georgian and Classical elements in their own distinctive way. It was listed for its architecture and its association with the early Southern-influenced plantation settlement of the region.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Post Colonial (Western Pennsylvania); Georgian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as being in excellent condition and original to the site; the entrance and interior are said to be substantially unchanged.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.380935-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/74001814.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001814/87ce743dcc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001814/87ce743dcc-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jack Boucher","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Dorsey_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jack Boucher</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Dorsey_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998630","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Dorsey_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15229747"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/washington-county/dorsey-joseph-house-74001814/"}