{"nrhp_refnum":"79002234","name":"Work, Col. John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SE of Mercersburg","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mercersburg","county":"Franklin County","state":"PA","lat":39.79677282100005,"lon":-77.94069067299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one half story native limestone farmhouse in Montgomery Township, southeast of Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, probably built around 1775 for John Work.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent example of the typical home of a prosperous late 18th century central Pennsylvania farmer. It survives in basically unaltered condition, with original interior features such as built-in cupboards, paneling, hardware and woodwork. The surrounding land is also largely unchanged, which the form calls unusual today.","narrative":"This two and one half story limestone farmhouse in Montgomery Township, southeast of Mercersburg, represents the home of a prosperous late 18th century Pennsylvania farmer. It has a tin gable roof, interior stone chimneys at each end, and a one story rear kitchen. The south front is coursed dressed ashlar, while the other walls are coursed rubble. Stone relieving arches top the door and first floor windows. Andrew Work bought the land in 1752, and his son John is believed to have lived there in a log house in the 1760s. The present stone house was probably built around 1775, and it appears in the 1798 U.S. Direct Tax Report. Inside, little has changed. Oak and poplar floors, original fireplaces with stone arches, preserved mantels, built-in cupboards and a intact living room chimney breast survive. The surrounding land is also unchanged, and the only houses in sight are believed to date from the 18th century.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Typical stone Pennsylvania farmhouse of the second half of the eighteenth century","criteria":[],"status_note":"Private residence; condition listed as good, altered; the front portico was removed several years before listing and the house has been restored to represent its 18th century period.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:59:04.171229-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/79002234.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002234/82b061b0ee-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002234/82b061b0ee-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Work_House_FrankCo_PA.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:John_Work_House_FrankCo_PA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996504","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col._John_Work_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5141775"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/franklin-county/work-col-john-house-79002234/"}