{"nrhp_refnum":"82003758","name":"Boonecroft","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Oley Line Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Douglassville","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.33204501350005,"lon":-75.8023532190472,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Boonecroft is a rural homestead in Exeter Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, consisting of a stone farmhouse with later additions, a springhouse/guest house, a smokehouse, a barn, a picnic shelter, two farm ponds, and the marked site of a log cabin. The stone house was built in 1733 by George Boone III and his wife Mary.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the stone farmhouse is an excellent example of early Colonial English rural architecture and is remarkable as one of the earliest English-style structures beyond the Philadelphia area. It is also presented as the homestead of the early Boone family in America, whose members were notable pioneers in settlement and westward expansion.","narrative":"Boonecroft is a rural homestead in Exeter Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, centred on a two and a half storey stone farmhouse built in 1733 by George Boone III and his wife Mary. The house is of rough-cut fieldstone with contrasting sandstone quoins and slate roofing, and it retains original doors with 18th-century latches and hinges, a large first-floor fireplace, and diagonally pegged attic framing. George Boone III, a Quaker, moved to the site in 1720 and first built a log cabin there; that cabin burned in 1924, leaving only its chimney and fireplace, which are marked by a stone monument. The property is regarded as an early example of English rural architecture in an area otherwise settled by Germans. It is also significant as the family homestead of the Boone family, whose descendants spread across the American frontier, and it remained in family ownership until the mid-1800s.","period_of_significance":"1720-1733","architect_builder":"George Boone, III","architectural_style":"Colonial English","criteria":[],"status_note":"Renovated between 1944 and 1965, with stucco and other coverings removed and modern conveniences added; the log cabin burned in 1924, leaving only the chimney and fireplace.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.92407-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/82003758.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003758/ca25551d4f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003758/ca25551d4f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Hshuvaeva","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boonecroft_01.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Hshuvaeva</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boonecroft_01.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"83002218","name":"Oley Township Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/oley-township-historic-district-83002218/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995252","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boonecroft","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4943678"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/boonecroft-82003758/"}