{"nrhp_refnum":"98000400","name":"West Vincent Highlands Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Birchrun Rd., PA 401, Fellowship Rd., Horshoe Tr., Hollow Rd., Davis, Jaine, Green, Bartlett, and Mill Lns.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Vincent Township","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.123880789000054,"lon":-75.67080452654024,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-05-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural historic district of about 1986 acres in West Vincent Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, adjoining the Birchrunville Historic District, made up mainly of farmsteads with stone farmhouses, barns and outbuildings along the Birch Run valley and the Nantmeal Hills.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is significant under Criterion A for its association with agricultural patterns in Chester County from the 18th century onward, and under Criterion C for its vernacular 18th, 19th and early 20th century architecture. The stated period of significance runs from about 1740 to 1947. The district is presented as remaining largely intact, with stone farmhouses and large barns from the early to mid 19th century.","narrative":"Farmsteads in the Birch Run valley and the Highlands above it form this rural district of about 1,986 acres in West Vincent Township, Chester County. Most of its 147 contributing buildings are stone farmhouses of two and a half stories, built mostly in the early and mid 19th century, with barns, springhouses and outbuildings grouped around them. Four 18th century log houses survive with later additions, including the John Whelen House, whose log construction was hidden under stucco until a roof fire. The James Whelen House, dated 1770, is the most formal house in the district. The district is significant for its record of farming from the 1700s through the mid 20th century, including the growth of dairying and the enlargement of barns, and for its vernacular architecture. Dr. Thomas F. Branson's Fellowship Farms, with its Guernsey herd, illustrates the dairy trade of the early 20th century.","period_of_significance":"ca1740 1947","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still largely farmed; the document notes that only two dairy herds remain in the district and that some barns and houses have been altered or lost.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:35.969423-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/98000400.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000400/e1d6ae597d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000400/e1d6ae597d-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Vincent_Highlands.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:West_Vincent_Highlands.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998702","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Vincent_Highlands_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7986796"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/west-vincent-highlands-historic-district-98000400/"}