{"nrhp_refnum":"85000071","name":"Stouchsburg Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"12 to 153 Main St., and Water St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stouchsburg","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.37971605100006,"lon":-76.23109110040309,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-01-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Stouchsburg Historic District is a linear village in Marion Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, lying along the former Berks and Dauphin Turnpike about 1.5 miles west of Womelsdorf. It is a one-main-street village of closely spaced, mostly 19th-century houses with long rear lots and outbuildings.","why_significant":"The village is described as a remarkably intact 19th-century Pennsylvania German linear village that typifies the one-main-street towns that grew along transportation routes in rural Pennsylvania. Its growth from the 1820s to the 1880s is tied to the commerce of the Union Canal, and its later stagnation after the canal's abandonment in 1884 is credited with preserving its historic design. Its architecture is valued mainly for overall village design and preserved buildings rather than for individual high-style examples.","narrative":"Stouchsburg is a linear village of closely built houses along one main street in Marion Township, Berks County, laid out in the 1820s on lots about 50 by 250 feet that run back to rear alleys. Most of its 97 major buildings date from the 19th century, with 19 log, 33 brick, 4 stone and 39 frame structures recorded, and about 150 outbuildings such as barns, summer kitchens, smokehouses and cisterns stand behind them. The village grew after the Berks and Dauphin Turnpike opened in 1817 and with the Union Canal trade after 1827, and it expanded again during the 1870s cigar industry. Its Peter Spycker House, dating from about 1750, is the oldest known building. Because growth largely ceased after the canal was abandoned in 1884, the village retains its 19th-century plan and building stock. It is regarded as a typical Pennsylvania German village of that era, with its layout and houses intact.","period_of_significance":"1750-1930","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Pennsylvania German vernacular; Georgian; Italianate; Victorian; Queen Anne","criteria":[],"status_note":"Most original buildings remain; many outbuildings and village houses have been converted from commercial to residential use, and some have aluminum or asphalt siding added.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:34.365037-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85000071.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000071/bf32985207-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000071/bf32985207-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Shuvaev","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Main_St_149,_Stouchsburg_PA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Shuvaev</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:Main_St_149,_Stouchsburg_PA.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"85000672","name":"Tulpehocken Creek Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/tulpehocken-creek-historic-district-85000672/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998289","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stouchsburg_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7620538"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/stouchsburg-historic-district-85000071/"}