Smith, William, House
Also known as: Brooks
Why it's listed
Built in 1686 as a two-story walnut log cabin in Wrightstown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, this house is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the country. William Smith, a Quaker from Yorkshire, England, who had come to the colony as a servant to the governor in 1682, built the original cabin. Its logs vary in size and shape, reflecting a builder who was not concerned with fine craftsmanship, and pegs hold the joinery together. In 1690, when Smith married, he added a small fieldstone room with a door connecting it to the cabin. Wings were added in 1965 and 1968, and the 1686 exterior wall and window were kept as interior features. The house is valued for the unusually intact condition of its earliest log sections and for its link to Smith's descendants, who included a state senator, a physician and legislator, and other members of the state legislature.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant because the 1686 walnut log cabin is very well preserved and is the oldest structure in Wrightstown and one of the oldest in the nation. It is also associated with William Smith, a Quaker who became the second white inhabitant of the area, and with his descendants, who included landowners and state political figures. Its later additions and modifications are described as not having changed the original sections in any basic way.
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 77001131, listed April 13, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Mud and Penns Park Rd., Wrightstown |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | April 13, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001131 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1600-1699 |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 2.7 |
| Coordinates | 40.26574, -74.98526 (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 77001131.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8018565
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.