{"nrhp_refnum":"77001148","name":"Elder, Abraham, Stone House","other_names":["Elder's"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"PA 550","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stormstown","county":"Centre County","state":"PA","lat":40.79539007900007,"lon":-78.01261385999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story, five-bay limestone house and former tavern on the Bellefonte-Pittsburgh Turnpike in Halfmoon Valley, Stormstown, Centre County, Pennsylvania. It was built in two phases, 1808 and 1832, with a stone kitchen ell and a spring house to the rear.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a key site in the settlement of Centre County and in local commerce, since Abraham Elder was the first settler of Halfmoon Valley and ran a tavern, store, saw mill and grist mill from the property. It also argues the house is a fine example of functional rural architecture, with a rare double fireplace and an arched entrance to the 1832 wing.","narrative":"Built in phases in 1808 and 1832 in Halfmoon Valley, Centre County, this five-bay limestone house served as a tavern on the Bellefonte-Pittsburgh Turnpike, opened in 1804. Abraham Elder, the first settler of the valley, built the original stone section on the site of his earlier log house, which had hosted the valley's first public meetings and Presbyterian worship. Elder also kept a store and ran a saw mill and a grist mill. Heavy traffic on the road carried Centre County iron westward to Pittsburgh, and travelers stopped at the house. After Elder died in 1827, his son enlarged the building to the east around 1832. The 1832 section has more carefully coursed, squared stone and an elliptical stone arch framing a fanlight and sidelights over the entrance. The double fireplace in the older section is a rare feature for the period. The building is regarded as a fine example of functional rural architecture.","period_of_significance":"1808-1832","architect_builder":"Abraham Elder (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The integrity of the house has not been greatly altered; the original kitchen fireplace was removed, and a modern tin roof was added.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.053623-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/77001148.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001148/6988fd2c05-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001148/6988fd2c05-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abe_Elder_stone_house_older_part.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abe_Elder_stone_house_older_part.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998285","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Elder_Stone_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4668841"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/centre-county/elder-abraham-stone-house-77001148/"}