Whitford Hall
Why it's listed
Whitford Hall is a stone house on the north side of the Lincoln Highway in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Family records place its construction around 1796 under Colonel Richard Thomas, who had built the brick mansion Whitford Lodge nearby in 1783. The five-bay front is coursed stone with a semicircular fanlight over the center entrance, set on a shallow roof with flush brick chimneys. Behind this formal face, the house follows a narrow single-pile "I" house plan, with a one-and-a-half-story kitchen wing that contains a cooking fireplace and a bake oven. The house is regarded as an example of Federal design with vernacular interior planning, and it is associated with the Thomas family, who ran the nearby Whitford mill. Samuel D. Thomas, the second son, was born at Whitford Lodge in 1793, and his son Templin R. Thomas was born at Whitford Hall in 1826. The property is also significant for its link to the Thomas milling business and to the turnpike that passed by the house.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an example of Federal style architecture, interpreted vernacularly, and that it is associated with the Thomas family, especially Colonel Richard Thomas. It belongs to a group of Thomas family principal dwellings and is linked to the Thomas mill and the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike. Its builder also constructed Whitford Lodge and Ivy Cottage nearby.
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 84003319, listed September 6, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 145 W. Lincoln Hwy., West Whiteland |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | September 6, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003319 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | Richard Thomas |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Not in use. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 40.02760, -75.63251 (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 84003319.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7996475
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.