{"nrhp_refnum":"76001635","name":"Swatara Ferry House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"400 Swatara St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Middletown","county":"Dauphin County","state":"PA","lat":40.19149313500003,"lon":-76.73219578299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-09-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-one-half story log house with a full stone foundation and cellar, built in two sections with separate entrances and chimneys, located in Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is the sole known survivor in Dauphin County of a type of one-and-one-half story log house that was among the most common styles at the time of the 1798 Direct Tax, and that few examples of this type have survived in the state. It is also associated with the early ferry operation across Swatara Creek and with the 1808-1809 subdivision and sale of the Portsmouth property.","narrative":"Built of log in one-and-one-half stories over a full stone cellar, this house in Middletown, Dauphin County, was constructed in two sections, each with its own entrance and chimney. The two halves were apparently mirror images of one another, and each followed a German-influenced floor plan, though the first floor has been greatly altered. The upper floor retains a large hall and two rooms. The walls are clad in wide clapboards on three sides, while the porch side has beaded boards. Machine-cut nails throughout the structure suggest construction after 1800. Early deeds for neighboring Portsmouth lots reserved the right to operate a ferry across Swatara Creek to lot 62, suggesting the building existed by about 1812. Its significance rests on its rarity: the house is regarded as the only known surviving example of its type in Dauphin County and one of very few in the state. Local legend calls it an old fort, but the building was a residence and is not as old as that tradition claims.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular type of 1 1/2 story log house","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered; the front porch side is clad in flush beaded boards and the first floor has been greatly altered.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.41357-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/76001635.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001635/9671bf7310-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001635/9671bf7310-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JoeRed","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swatara_Ferry_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JoeRed</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:Swatara_Ferry_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996528","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatara_Ferry_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7654007"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/dauphin-county/swatara-ferry-house-76001635/"}