Booth Farm
Why it's listed
Built in 1819 of coursed fieldstone, the Booth Farm in Bethel Township, Delaware County, is a 72-acre farmstead built around a courtyard of buildings. The core includes a two-and-a-half-story Federal-style farmhouse, a bank barn with a stone foundation dating to about 1819, a carriage barn from 1820 and a dairy from about 1919. Stone walls, built without mortar from local dark gneiss, run along the perimeter and interior lanes. The Booth family, who came from Yorkshire around 1712, farmed the land for six generations. The farm shows the shift from self-sufficient mixed farming to dairying, orchards and tenant truck farming between the 1850s and the 1950s. Its surviving cluster of farm buildings is regarded as the only such example remaining in the township, which is why it was listed for its agricultural history and its farm architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is important for its association with local agricultural patterns in Bethel Township (Criterion A) and as a good representative of area farm architecture (Criterion C). The farmhouse is described as a good example of the dwellings that once characterized Bethel's agrarian landscape, and the farmstead as the only such surviving cluster 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 03000527, listed June 13, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3221 Foulk Rd., Boothwyn |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | June 13, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000527 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1819-1953 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic/Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Farmhouse restored and renovated in 1979; the house is described as occupied by the current owner family, and the document does not state the property's current use beyond this. |
| Acreage | 72 |
| Coordinates | 39.85492, -75.48721 (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 03000527.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4943870
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.