Penn's Park General Store Complex
Also known as: Gaines Property
Why it's listed
Set at the crossing of two country roads in Penn's Park, the complex began as a late eighteenth-century farmstead. Thomas Allibone bought the site in 1775 and built a frame farmhouse and a small log store. In 1810 Simon Witherill, a local mason, replaced the house with a larger stone dwelling in the Georgian style, the largest in the village at the time. James Gaines acquired the complex and fifteen acres around it, and by 1836 he had built a two-story stone general store to meet growing trade. The store sold seeds, tools and cloth, held a village library of as many as six hundred volumes, and housed a Post Office from the Civil War era until 1971. A third floor added in the 1880s hosted trade and fraternal meetings. The store's mid-nineteenth-century shelving, counters and dovetailed drawers survive, which is why the complex is valued as a rare intact village commercial group.
Significance in brief: The complex served as the commercial and social center of Penn's Park for more than a century and a half, operating as a store, a Post Office and a meeting place. The farmhouse, store and barn are presented as good examples of local vernacular architecture, and the store interior retains mid-nineteenth century shelving, counters and drawers.
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 85000072, listed January 8, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2310-2324 Second St. Pike, Wrightson Township, Penn's Park |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | January 8, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000072 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1810-1837 |
| Architect / builder | house - Simon Witherill; store - James Gaines |
| Architectural style | Georgian (vernacular) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Store ceased operations in the 1970s; the barn is sound but has a leaking roof, and several outbuildings are in poor condition or near ruin. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | Penns Park Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.26601, -74.99844 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 85000072.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7163125
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.