{"nrhp_refnum":"85003049","name":"Ferron, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Saint Malachi Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Londonderry Township","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":39.89915467250006,"lon":-75.85139197511072,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-11-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A banked, two-bay stone Penn Plan house on a 10.75-acre tract along St. Malachi Road in Londonderry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, built about 1838 according to the form. It sits across the road from St. Malachi Church.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is architecturally important as a well-preserved banked version of the regionally popular Penn Plan, with its original cellar kitchen and fireplace largely intact. It also points to its long association with St. Malachi Church, whose members, including its builder and a long-serving sexton, owned the house.","narrative":"Banked stone house on St. Malachi Road in Londonderry Township, Chester County, built about 1838 on a tract of 10 3/4 acres. Its two-bay, two-story form with attic follows the Penn Plan, a layout that spread from Philadelphia through the surrounding rural counties in the colonial period. Because the house is set into the hill, its cellar serves as a kitchen, and the original cellar cooking fireplace and evidence of a bake oven survive. The front and back rooms, side winder staircase, woodwork, and mantels remain intact, and modern plumbing and heating were not added until the late 1970s. The house was built by John Ferron, carpenter of St. Malachi Church, and his heirs held it for 64 years. Later owner William Shank served as the church's sexton for more than thirty years. The property is significant for its architecture and its ties to the Catholic settlement of the area.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"John Ferron (builder)","architectural_style":"43 Penn Plan","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition; residence; a frame addition and a root cellar are present, with the cellar listed as contributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.43036-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85003049.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003049/b09cbcc697-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003049/b09cbcc697-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Ferron_House.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:John_Ferron_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992588","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ferron_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6233042"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/ferron-john-house-85003049/"}