Taylorstown Historic District

Taylorstown, Washington County, Pennsylvania Listed Ref. 85001958 Historic district
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Taylorstown Historic District, Pennsylvania
Photo: Generic1139, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why it's listed

Taylorstown is a village of 45 buildings on the west bank of the north branch of Buffalo Creek in Blaine Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1795 when William Taylor had surveyor David Heaton lay out 66 lots, each 60 by 264 feet, along a single street, which later became known as Main Street. The village grew within that plan and kept its original size and scale. Its buildings range from early log houses covered in wood siding and a few brick structures in a vernacular Federal style to Greek Revival and Italianate farmhouses. Many of the houses date from the 1880s, when the discovery of oil near the village brought a brief period of prosperity. The village is regarded as the only one in Washington County laid out before 1800 that has never outgrown its original plan, and it keeps its nineteenth-century rural character. The Taylorstown Post Office, established in 1831, still operates from the rear of the general store.

Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29).

Period of significance1795-1900
StylesFederal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, vernacular farm type
Areas of significanceCommunity Planning and Development, Architecture, Agriculture
Acreage16.9
Boundary sourceNPS cultural-resource GIS polygon
Full listing pageTaylorstown Historic District (property record)

What listing means for this property

This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.