Fairville Historic District
Why it's listed
Fairville is a crossroads village on Kennett Pike in Pennsbury Township, Chester County, where houses, shops and barns line the road in a close linear pattern. Its oldest standing house dates to about 1744, when Owen Evans settled the land, and its historic core was largely built on lots sold by the Sharpless family in the first half of the nineteenth century. Blacksmith shops, including the Francis Boyce forge, supplied goods to nearby mills and farms, while the Sharpless general store and post office served as the village's main market. The village declined after a railroad station opened in 1865 at what is now Mendenhall, shifting farm trade away from the pike. Later, Phillip duPont developed an estate here in the early twentieth century, with buildings designed by Robeson Lea Perot. The district is valued for the number of intact buildings that show how the village functioned across more than two centuries.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant in commerce under Criterion A for its role as a service and market center for surrounding farms and mills and along Kennett Pike, and in architecture under Criterion C for its intact concentration of vernacular and period buildings. It is described as the township's best preserved, compact historic village, with the duPont estate's Tudor Revival buildings among its premier architecture.
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 96001200, listed November 7, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Kennett Pike between Fairville Rd. and Hickory Hill Rd., Pennsbury Township, Kennett Square |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | November 7, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001200 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | C. 1744 - 1946 |
| Architect / builder | Robeson Lea Perot (architect for the duPont estate buildings, as stated) |
| Architectural style | Federal; Colonial Revival; Gothic; Tudor Revival; Greek Revival; Georgian; vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Houses on the east side of Kennett Pike are described as antique shops or residences; the Brandywine Presbyterian Church is described as no longer in use. |
| Acreage | 26 |
| Coordinates | 39.85079, -75.63304 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 96001200.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5430895
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.