{"nrhp_refnum":"83002227","name":"Pleasant Hill Plantation","other_names":["Van Leer Place"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Little Conestoga Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Glen Moore","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.117577032500066,"lon":-75.78303034228644,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A farm complex and stone house known as Pleasant Hill Plantation (also the Van Leer Place) on Little Conestoga Road near Glen Moore in East and West Nantmeal Townships, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The house was built in three sections, starting with a core erected before the Revolution, probably by Matthew Robinson.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the house as a fine example of rural 18th-century 'add-on' architecture typical of backcountry homes, reflecting Philadelphia's cultural influence in the Lancaster area. In the 19th century Isaac Wayne Van Leer made the farm known for progressive horticulture and animal husbandry. It is also the birthplace of George Howard Earle, Jr., Pennsylvania's 33rd Governor.","narrative":"Pleasant Hill Plantation is a stone farmhouse on Little Conestoga Road near Glen Moore, grown in three stages. The core, a three-bay, two-story section, was probably built by Matthew Robinson shortly before the Revolution. A two-bay western addition, possibly once a tavern, made the house a five-bay Georgian rectangle. A later eastern section, tied to an 1843 remodelling, replaced an earlier log kitchen. Below the house lies a vaulted wine cellar with a hand-dug well. Isaac Wayne Van Leer bought the farm at a sheriff's sale in 1824 and turned it into a thriving property. He planted an arboretum, served as president of the county agricultural society, and drew visiting farmers and conservationists. George Howard Earle, Jr., later Pennsylvania's 33rd Governor, was born here. After decline in the early twentieth century, the farm has been restored since 1948. Its additions show continuous growth while the original core survives.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Matthew Robinson; Isaac VanLeer","architectural_style":"Rural 18th-century \"add-on\" style; Georgian rectangle with later Italianate details","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence in excellent, largely unaltered condition; restored since 1948. The large barn is in ruins and the spring house is deteriorating.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:59:04.86483-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/83002227.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002227/99ac8dc3cd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002227/99ac8dc3cd-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pleasant_Hill_Chesco.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:Pleasant_Hill_Chesco.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995673","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Leer_Pleasant_Hill_Plantation","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7203872"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/pleasant-hill-plantation-83002227/"}