Rhoads-Lorah House and Barn
Also known as: Five Springs Farm
Why it's listed
Built around 1830 on Old Swede Road near Yellow House in Amity Township, the Rhoads/Lorah House is a two-and-a-half-story limestone farmhouse with a five-bay Georgian front and a center hall, attached to an earlier stone kitchen wing of undated origin. A matching limestone barn stands nearby, carved with the initials of John Rhoads and the date 1830 on its forebay. The house has nine-foot ceilings, a four-pane transom over the front door, and a stair with a butterfly landing. The property sits on land that was farmed by the Rhoads family from the 1740s and later by the Lorah and Ludwig families. It is significant as an example of Georgian design by regional master builders Gottlieb Drexel and Conrad Henry, scaled to a modest farm budget. Its simpler detailing, compared with the nearby 1801 Fisher House, shows how local farmers adopted the style. The house, barn, springhouse and related outbuildings retain much of their original character.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house and barn show the spread of Georgian/Federal design in Berks County, adapted at a more modest scale than the high-style examples by master builders Gottlieb Drexel and Conrad Henry. It presents the farmhouse and barn as a middle step in the architectural progression of the county's farm community, and as a fine example of progressive architecture among German farmers.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07000216, listed March 29, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1832 Old Swede Rd., Amity Township |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | March 29, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000216 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1830 |
| Architectural style | COLONIAL/georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The property is described as being in excellent condition and in use as a farm property. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Within district | Oley Township Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.31979, -75.75344 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07000216.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7320818
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.