Lochiel Farm
Why it's listed
Lochiel Farm is a two-story, double-pile stone farmhouse in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, set in the Great Valley within view of the Lancaster Turnpike. Griffith Lewis, a great-grandson of Evan Lewis, began the house around 1814, and it was valued above the older Lewis homestead even though it was not finished that year. The five-bay core measures about 45 by 45 feet and has a central entrance opening into a wide hall with a closed string stairway of four flights. Interior woodwork includes architrave trim, chair rails and punch-work decoration, and the house retains a heavy mantel and crane in the northeast room. Its symmetrical facade has three pedimented dormers. The house is regarded as an example of late Georgian and Federal farmhouse design in the Great Valley, with few alterations apart from an oversized hood and remodeled east kitchen wing added in the early twentieth century. The farm's outbuildings did not survive in significant form.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant as an example of nineteenth-century use of eighteenth-century building patterns with only minimal Federal decorative elements. It is also presented as an embodiment of West Whiteland's agricultural history and as a built by a descendant of an early Welsh Quaker family in the township.
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 84003289, listed September 6, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 111A N. Ship Rd., West Whiteland |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | September 6, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003289 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1819 |
| Architectural style | Georgian/Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Structurally sound; minimally altered from its 19th-century appearance; the house is in use for agricultural purposes under Church Farm School ownership. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 40.03196, -75.60817 (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 84003289.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6665119
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.