Bell, John, Farm
Why it's listed
Built as a plain stone farmhouse in the early 1840s on a Great Valley tract in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, the core is a two-story, five-bay, single-pile central block with a two-story service wing. John Bell, a Quaker farmer, is believed to have built it after buying 154 acres. In 1888-1889 Rebecca Colfelt, a Philadelphia-born owner, had the house remodeled with large cross gables, a two-story library wing, a porch with a central cross gable, and triple-casement windows with diamond panes. The original floor plan was kept. The house is regarded as the township's finest Elizabethan/Queen Anne example, and its design shows late nineteenth-century urban taste applied to a rural farmhouse. The complex keeps its rural setting, with a tenant house, springhouse, corn crib and a barn rebuilt in 1934. Its significance rests mainly on its architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be the township's finest example of Elizabethan/Queen Anne style and a well-preserved farmhouse from the period when agriculture dominated West Whiteland's economy. Its 1889 remodeling added cross gables and a library wing to a traditional Great Valley farmhouse while keeping the original floor plan. The setting has stayed rural and the land continues to be farmed.
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 84003235, listed September 6, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 463 N. Ship Rd., West Whiteland |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | September 6, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003235 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1840-1849 |
| Architectural style | Elizabethan/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The surrounding land continues to be farmed and the house is a residence; the document does not state a current vacancy. |
| Acreage | 5.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.04424, -75.62105 (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 84003235.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6221447
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.