Lumberville Historic District
Also known as: Lumberville
Why it's listed
Lumberville is a village of about 96 buildings and 3 structures strung along River Road and the Delaware Canal in Solebury Township, Bucks County. Most of its houses are stone or frame, and many of the oldest stand at the south end of the village near the Black Bass Hotel, an inn whose records go back to the 1700s and which once served bargemen. Its commercial life centered on lumber milling, begun by George Wall, Jr. in the late 1700s and later run by Lukens Thomas and the Tinsman family. Rafts of logs came down the Delaware, and coal and limestone moved along the canal, which opened in the 1830s. The village is also tied to the painter Martin Johnson Heade, born here in 1819, and to a group of artists and writers who settled here in the early twentieth century. The district's buildings have kept a high level of integrity, with most changes made to the rear of the houses.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Lumberville is a typical one-industry mill village of the 19th century that shows the influence of the Industrial Revolution, with lumber milling and canal shipping of lumber, coal and limestone sustaining its commercial life. It also cites the village's retained integrity and its association with the luminist painter Martin Johnson Heade and a group of early twentieth-century artists and writers who lived there.
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 84003165, listed August 9, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Fleecy Dale, Carversville, River, and Green Hill Rds., Lumberville |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | August 9, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003165 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1700-1933 |
| Architectural style | Colonial style and Victorian era buildings |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The lumber business continues, and the district retains high integrity, with most alterations made in the rear of buildings. |
| Acreage | 54 |
| Coordinates | 40.40484, -75.03277 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84003165.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6703123
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.