{"nrhp_refnum":"79002195","name":"Downingtown Log House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"15 E. Lancaster Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Downingtown","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.00636780550005,"lon":-75.70460542063182,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-05-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A round log, one-and-a-half story house on East Lancaster Avenue (Business Route 30, Lincoln Highway) in Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania, constructed circa 1700. It is attributed to either Jeremiah Collett, Jr., or Joseph Hickman, the form giving both as possibilities.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the only surviving example of very early European settlement in central Chester County and the oldest documented structure in the vicinity. It combines Swedish construction features with English Quaker adaptations, and it is traditionally the symbol associated with the Borough of Downingtown. Most of its interior and exterior is considered original construction.","narrative":"A round log house of one and a half stories, built circa 1700 on the banks of the Brandywine Creek area in Downingtown, is attributed to either Jeremiah Collett, Jr., or Joseph Hickman. Its measurements are 21 feet, 9 inches by 25 feet, with a slide-board opening on the south wall. Swedish features include the low doorway, horizontal planking on the gable ends, and the slide-board, while English influence appears in the shallow saddle-notched corners, larger windows, and a serpentine staircase. The Downing family acquired it in 1739 and added a Georgian mantel and interior partitions. The borough received the building in 1940 and restoration followed in 1947. It is regarded as the only surviving example of very early European settlement in central Chester County and the oldest documented structure in the vicinity. Its wider significance also rests on its local symbolic role for the borough.","period_of_significance":"c. 1700","architect_builder":"Jeremiah Collett, Jr. or Joseph Hickman (builder, uncertain)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Structure is deteriorated in places, with floor settlement on the second floor, a high water table, and flood exposure; the form notes the house may be relocated.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.163025-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/79002195.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002195/649d591295-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002195/649d591295-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downingtown_Log_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downingtown_Log_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995262","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downingtown_Log_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5303216"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/downingtown-log-house-79002195/"}