Rice-Pennebecker Farm
Also known as: Fox Meadow Farm
Why it's listed
Pickering Creek farm complex in West Pikeland Township, with a stone house begun about 1767 by Zachariah Rice, a miller who had come from Germany in 1751. In 1831-1832 George Pennypacker enlarged the house in Georgian style and rebuilt the stone bank barn, which is 55 by 85 feet. Rice and his wife Abigail supplied General Anthony Wayne's troops after the Battle of the Clouds in 1777, and the mill was converted to process clover seed in 1785. After the Pennypackers and Joseph Tustin turned to dairying around 1870, the Pickering Valley railroad, opened in 1871, let them ship butter, milk and produce to Philadelphia. The farm is regarded as one of the largest and most intact nineteenth-century farm complexes in the township, and the house as a locally outstanding example of its type.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes the farm as an excellent representative of nineteenth-century farm complexes in West Pikeland Township. It argues that the house is a locally outstanding example of Georgian additive-type architecture and that the barn and outbuildings are among the most intact of their kind 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 86001765, listed August 21, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Clover Mill Rd., Chester Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | August 21, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001765 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1767-1870 |
| Architect / builder | 1767: Zachariah Rice; 1831: G. Pennypacker |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The farm was altered in the 1960s with a one-story addition to the house; the barn and outbuildings are described as intact and in agricultural use. |
| Acreage | 42 |
| Coordinates | 40.10385, -75.59924 (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 86001765.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7322975
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.