{"nrhp_refnum":"84003286","name":"Lewis, Evan, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"117 N. Ship Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Exton","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.032484827000076,"lon":-75.61133641399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-08-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A stone house on North Ship Road in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, built circa 1717 as a single-pile hall/parlor dwelling and later enlarged over several generations, with an associated barn. The Evan Lewis House is a residence-farm.","why_significant":"The house is regarded as one of the township's last surviving structures from its first period of settlement, and the only one besides a portion of Sleepy Hollow Hall dating from that period. It is argued to represent the original building traditions of Welsh Quaker settlers, with the hall-parlor plan easily extended as the family grew. The continuous occupation of the site by the Lewis family for six generations, many of them carpenters, adds to its importance for township settlement.","narrative":"Built circa 1717 as a stone hall/parlor dwelling on North Ship Road in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, the house was begun by Evan Lewis, a Welsh Quaker who settled a 225-acre tract purchased from Richard Thomas in 1717. The original core measures 20 by 27 feet and has opposing front and rear doors. Its two fireplaces differ: the eastern one is set diagonally on corbelled stone, a technique common in very early eighteenth-century houses, while the western one served for cooking. Additions were made over time, and the 1820s brought a second story and attic. The house passed through six generations of the Lewis family, many of whom were carpenters, and its plan shows how a Welsh Quaker first house could grow with the family. It is regarded as an example of the first settlers' building traditions in the township, and it is one of the few surviving structures from the period of settlement.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799","architect_builder":"Evan Lewis (builder)","architectural_style":"Hall/Parlor","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:34.264453-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/84003286.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003286/5f0c6597cb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003286/5f0c6597cb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evan_Lewis_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evan_Lewis_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992696","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Lewis_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5415459"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/lewis-evan-house-84003286/"}