{"nrhp_refnum":"91000318","name":"Dawesfield","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"565 Lewis Ln., Whitpain Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ambler","county":"Montgomery County","state":"PA","lat":40.15385004050006,"lon":-75.2472234648446,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-03-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Dawesfield is a complex of stone and frame buildings and grounds on Lewis Lane in Whitpain Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, comprising a main dwelling begun circa 1736, a stone barn of 1795, a tenant house of 1845, a farm manager's house of 1884, and several outbuildings. It was developed as a gentleman's farm and family estate.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Dawesfield is a historically and architecturally important example of a Philadelphia-region gentleman's farm, with a landscaped setting and buildings reflecting successive generations of owners. It was associated with the American Revolution, serving as General Washington's headquarters after the Battle of Germantown. The nomination notes its Colonial Revival appearance is largely the product of later transformations.","narrative":"Dawesfield is a gentleman's farm on Lewis Lane in Whitpain Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Its main dwelling was begun about 1736 by Abraham Dawes, a Welsh Quaker family that settled the area early in the 18th century, and it grew through additions in 1745, 1785, 1821 and the later 19th century into a T-shaped stone house. The complex includes a stone barn dated 1795, a stone tenant house of 1845, a farm manager's house of 1884, and several outbuildings set within terraced lawns, stone walls and mature oak, beech and tulip poplar trees. The property is regarded as a fine example of a country estate where owners pursued city careers while devoting attention to house and grounds. General Washington used the north parlor as his office when he headquartered at Dawesfield in the fall of 1777, following the Battle of Germantown. The estate also illustrates the changes made by owners including Saunders Lewis and later the Cheston family, who carried the property through the twentieth century.","period_of_significance":"1736-1940","architect_builder":"Willing, Charles (architect, possibly involved in some or all of the 1954 work; the form notes his role merits further inquiry)","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","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 17:11:36.472795-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/91000318.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000318/19693e09a2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000318/19693e09a2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DAWESFIELD.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ MD</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:DAWESFIELD.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994519","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawesfield","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5242316"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/montgomery-county/dawesfield-91000318/"}