{"nrhp_refnum":"78002399","name":"Rush House","other_names":["Sebastian Rush Hotel and Tavern"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"U.S. 40 and PA 381","address_restricted":false,"city":"Farmington","county":"Fayette County","state":"PA","lat":39.807254974000045,"lon":-79.56593867899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Rush House is a brick and fieldstone building fronting the North side of Route 40 (the National Road) in Farmington, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1837 by Nathaniel Ewing and operated as a stagecoach stop and hotel.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with the National Road's stagecoach era and for the guests it hosted, including Jenny Lind and P.T. Barnum. Its operation as a hotel by Sebastian (Boss) Rush is presented as the basis of its historical importance. The form also notes its unusual mixed brick and stone construction.","narrative":"Built in 1837 by Nathaniel Ewing on the North side of the National Road in Farmington, Fayette County, the house has brick south and east walls joined to fieldstone west and north walls in a dovetail pattern, with the brick fired on site. Soon after construction it was bought by Sebastian (Boss) Rush, who ran it as a stagecoach stop and an agency of the National Road Stage Company during the road's busiest years. Guests recorded in local history included Generals Jackson, Harrison, Taylor and Scott, Sam Houston, Henry Clay and Jenny Lind, and the house is also associated with President Polk and P.T. Barnum. A ledger kept by Rush survives, and a large stable once housed extra teams. Coach service ended in 1852 after the railroad took over traffic, but the building continued as a hotel until 1962. The property is significant for its tie to the stagecoach era and its famous guests.","period_of_significance":"1837-1900","architect_builder":"Nathaniel Ewing","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered; the front porch is in poor condition and a wooden porch is noted on the east side of the wing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.050256-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002399.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002399/7ba78681bc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002399/7ba78681bc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WhartonTwpPA_RushHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WhartonTwpPA_RushHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995583","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7380713"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/fayette-county/rush-house-78002399/"}