Eagle Tavern
Why it's listed
Eagle Tavern is a stone building in Upper Makefield Township, south of New Hope in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Its earliest section dates from the early eighteenth century and has a steep roof, a stone fireplace covering an entire wall, massive hand-hewn beams and a box-form winding stair. In 1854 Moses Van Horn, a local businessman, added a larger three-bay section for commercial use; its datestone reads "M. H. & R. V. H. 1854." Until the end of the nineteenth century the addition housed a hotel, store, post office and voting headquarters for the township, and its third floor was a ballroom. In 1813 James Vance was licensed to run a tavern on the main road between Newtown and New Hope, and the tavern was given the name Spread Eagle by 1820. The building is significant for its long service as a community meeting place and for its surviving original interior features. Later alterations, including partitioned bedrooms on the upper floors, were made with care for the original character.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the tavern served the community for more than a century as hostelry, post office, polling place and general store, hosting travellers on the old rural roads. It also cites the surviving 18th-century interior features, including beamed ceilings, a large walk-in stone fireplace and box stairway, together with the 1854 commercial addition built by Moses Van Horn.
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 78002353, listed April 20, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of New Hope, Upper Makefield Township, New Hope |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | April 20, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002353 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1854 |
| Architect / builder | Moses Van Horn (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Presently a private residence; the garage on the west end is a recent addition. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.29158, -74.93961 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 78002353.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5325272
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.