West Vincent Highlands Historic District

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.