Annville Historic District

Annville sits on the north bank of the Quittapahilla Creek, where dammed water power and early grist mills drew settlers in the 1720s. The town was formally laid out in 1763-64 by Andrew Miller, Adam Ulrich and Abraham Raiguel, each of whom platted his section somewhat independently, which left visible street irregularities where the three sectors meet. Lots were 66 by 200 feet, and houses were built close to the street with rear gardens and alleys for barns. The district holds a sequence of building types, from log houses along Queen Street, roughly thirty of which survive, to limestone houses from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including the Abraham Herr Manor House. Later 19th-century factories, hotels along the Berks-Dauphin Turnpike, and Victorian mansions on East Main Street reflect growth following the railroad and limestone quarrying. The district is significant for its architecture and for documenting this progression of building styles in a Central Pennsylvania town.