Baily Farm
Also known as: Site #50-2
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Stone house on Strasburg Road in West Bradford Township, built in the 1790s and set into a bank above the road. Its five-bay, double-pile main block has a center hall plan, a semicircular fanlight over the paneled entrance, and an open-string stair rising in the hall. Punch and gouge carving decorates the mantels, the doorway and the fanlight, and the reeded fireplace and dentil-work shelf add further detail. The house was built as one unit, unlike most older houses in the corridor, and its visible roadside position reflects its Federal styling. Judge John Beale Bordley bought the land in 1794, and the property stayed in the Baily family until 1890. A frame barn stands beside the house and is counted as contributing. The house is regarded as an unusually well-preserved example of vernacular Federal design, though its proportions and plan carry earlier Georgian traditions.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a rare example of relatively high-style Federal architecture in a remote part of Chester County, executed as a single deliberately designed unit. Its prominent location on a major 18th-century road is argued to explain its Federal styling, and its punch and gouge woodwork is described as unusual in the Scenic River Corridor.
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 85002347, listed September 16, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Strasburg and Broad Run Rds., W. Bradford Twp. |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | September 16, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002347 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1751-99 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Agriculture; residence |
| Acreage | 7.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.94881, -75.70284 (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 85002347.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4848494
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.