Twining Farm
Why it's listed
A multi-stage stone farmhouse south of Newtown in Bucks County, overlooking Newtown Creek, with its earliest section dating to about 1750. A date stone in the western section reads 1832 with the initials D.H., marking the enlargement by Dr. David Hutchinson. David Twining bought the farm in 1757 and held it until his death in 1791; he was a two-term member of the General Assembly and a librarian of the Newtown Library Company for 28 years. The farm is significant for its stone construction, which grew lengthwise as the family's needs expanded, and for its bank barn with pointed stone walls. It is also tied to the painter Edward Hicks, who was taken in by the Twining family as a boy and lived on the farmstead for about ten years. Three Hicks paintings of the homestead, dated about 1845 to 1848, survive in museum and private collections.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the farm as a fine, well-preserved example of multi-stage stone construction typical of Bucks and Chester Counties. It was associated with the painter Edward Hicks, who lived on the farmstead as a boy and later painted three views of the homestead. The farm was also one of the most prosperous estates in Newtown, and its bank barn is noted for early construction techniques.
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 82003766, listed July 1, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Buck Rd., Newtown Township, Newtown |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | July 1, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003766 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1750, 1838, 1845-48 |
| Architectural style | Colonial and Federal styles |
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 40.21928, -74.93906 (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 82003766.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7858369
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.