{"nrhp_refnum":"82003775","name":"Bechdel II, Christian, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S of Blanchard on Liberty Rd., Liberty Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"Blanchard","county":"Centre County","state":"PA","lat":41.05867636000005,"lon":-77.60415978299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-03-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Georgian-style brick farmhouse built in 1831 by Christian Bechdel II in Liberty Township near Blanchard, Centre County, Pennsylvania, with a milk house, garage and well on the site.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a rare, largely unaltered survivor in the Bald Eagle Valley, representing an early permanent farm settlement and the original way of farm life. Its Palladian window, Chinese Chippendale front porch and original paint and shutter scheme are described as uncommon features for the area. The statement also ties the family's land to early settlement and transportation along Bald Eagle Creek.","narrative":"Built in 1831 by Christian Bechdel II on land he inherited from his father, this two-story brick farmhouse in Centre County, Pennsylvania, follows a five-bay, center-hall plan with Flemish bond on the front facade. Its most distinctive feature is a Palladian window above the front entrance, and the front porch is executed in Chinese Chippendale style. The house retains its original interior woodwork, hand-wrought hardware, and much of its original paint scheme, with louvered upper shutters painted green and lower shutters white. The Bechdel family settled the Bald Eagle Creek valley in 1790, and the house is regarded as one of the first attempts at permanent farm settlement in the valley. The family has occupied it continuously, and it is considered a rare survivor in an area where most comparable homes were lost. Its setting on high ground near the Sayers Dam has spared it from the flood works that destroyed others.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Christian Bechdel II (builder)","architectural_style":"Georgian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Continuously occupied by the family and little changed; the house is surrounded by the flood pool of the Foster Joseph Sayers Dam.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.148558-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/82003775.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003775/062eb30e97-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003775/062eb30e97-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ruhrfisch","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christian_Bechdel_II_House_2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ruhrfisch</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:Christian_Bechdel_II_House_2.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994702","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Bechdel_II_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5109323"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/centre-county/bechdel-ii-christian-house-82003775/"}