{"nrhp_refnum":"79002367","name":"Lacawac","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E of Ledgedale","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ledgedale","county":"Wayne County","state":"PA","lat":41.37882237100004,"lon":-75.29276121986369,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-08-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Conservation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Lacawac is a former summer estate of rustic, shingle-clad buildings at Ledgedale in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, built in 1903 for the Honorable William Connell. The complex originally comprised eight buildings, including a main house, barn, spring house, pump house, coachman's cabin and ice house.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the complex is a well-preserved example of rustic summer-home architecture, a type uncommon in Pennsylvania. It also cites Connell's reintroduction of a deer herd after local deer had been eliminated, the property's later use for scientific and educational purposes, and its designation as a National Natural Landmark in 1968.","narrative":"Lacawac, at Ledgedale in Wayne County, is a group of cedar-shingled buildings built in 1903 as the summer estate of William Connell, a Scranton coal operator and congressman. The complex originally had eight structures in a rustic style popular in the Adirondacks and Berkshires. The two-and-a-half-story main house has a cross-gable roof and large two-story porches, and its interior is panelled in southern yellow pine, with original gas fittings and much of the original furniture still in place. Connell re-established a deer herd here after local deer had been eliminated, enclosing four miles of land with a chestnut-post and wire fence and feeding the animals at a deer house. The property was later acquired by Louis A. Watres and was eventually deeded in 1966 to a non-profit for scientific and educational use. The lake was named a National Natural Landmark in 1968, and the site is regarded as an uncommon Pennsylvania example of this building type.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Kriegers, Stermers & Martin","architectural_style":"Rustic, with Shingle Style characteristics","criteria":[],"status_note":"The main house retains much of its original interior and furnishings; the boat house and deer house were demolished, and the Ice House was converted into a residence in 1950.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.228513-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/79002367.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002367/6caaa074df-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002367/6caaa074df-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LACAWAC_,_PAUPAK_TWP,_WAYNE_COUNTY,_PA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</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:LACAWAC_,_PAUPAK_TWP,_WAYNE_COUNTY,_PA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996217","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacawac","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6468144"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/wayne-county/lacawac-79002367/"}