{"nrhp_refnum":"77001165","name":"Chamberlain-Pennell House","other_names":["Hill of Skye"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W of Media off U.S. 1 at Valley Brook Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Media","county":"Delaware County","state":"PA","lat":39.89778172200005,"lon":-75.47923538499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-12-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick house known as the Hill of Skye (also Chamberlain-Pennell-Dickson House) in Aston Township near Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, built about 1722 by John Chamberlain. It is a three-bay, two-story-and-garret brick dwelling with a stone kitchen wing added before 1798.","why_significant":"The house is presented as an outstanding example of early 18th century Delaware Valley brick architecture with an English hall, parlor and passage plan and Flemish bond brickwork. It is described as one of the few such examples left in Delaware County and as a notable instance of Pennsylvania's contribution to the black header technique. Its mid-19th century Victorian alterations are regarded as unusually sensitive to the original fabric.","narrative":"Built about 1722 by John Chamberlain, a weaver, this three-bay brick house in Aston Township was laid out in the hall, passage and parlor plan common to large English rural residences. Its brickwork is laid in Flemish bond throughout, a more sophisticated treatment than many contemporary dwellings in the area, which often used Flemish bond only on the front facade. A stone kitchen wing was added to the west before 1798. In the mid-nineteenth century the interior was remodeled with heavy Victorian millwork, and German siding was applied to the east gable. Restoration in 1958 removed the siding and rebuilt the pent eaves and roof. The property is regarded as one of the few early examples of its type remaining in Delaware County, and it has been associated with the Pennell family. Joseph Pennell, a maltster, lived here for much of his life, and his grandson Mark Pennell was a founder of the Rose Tree Hunt, whose early organizing meetings took place in the house.","period_of_significance":"c. 1722-1850","architect_builder":"John Chamberlain (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The form states that the house is in excellent state of repair following restoration in 1958; the only surviving outbuilding is a small stone springhouse.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:31.118363-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/77001165.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001165/221102bddd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001165/221102bddd-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"User:Smallbones on English Wikipedia.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChamberlainPennelHouse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Smallbones on English Wikipedia.</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChamberlainPennelHouse.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996470","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamberlain-Pennell_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5069574"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/delaware-county/chamberlain-pennell-house-77001165/"}