Cheyney, John, Log Tenant House and Farm
Also known as: Huston,Thomas,Farm
Why it's listed
Four buildings on a 16-acre farmstead near Cheyney, Delaware County, date from about 1760 to 1870. The residence combines a log section, built before 1806, with a stucco-over-stone section erected between 1815 and 1848. The log part measures 13 feet 2 inches by 16 feet 4 inches and has a full cellar. A stone and frame barn, a garage housing a stone forge and an iron-lined farm kitchen, and a stone springhouse complete the group. The property descends from a 1681 Penn land grant to Richard Marsh, and the land was later held by the Cheyney family, who settled in Thornbury Township. Its log tenant house is regarded as an uncommon survivor of the eighteenth-century farm settlement pattern, when Penn grants were divided into farms and worked by tenant labor. Ownership passed through the Huston, Cassidy and Baker families in the nineteenth century, and the group also reflects the lives of Black residents in the township.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the log section of the house is a remnant of eighteenth-century farm settlement and tenant housing in southeastern Pennsylvania, and that it is excellently preserved. It states that few log tenant houses from the Direct Tax listings for Thornbury Township remain. It also argues the property reflects changes in farm technology and the history of both the White and Black populations of the area.
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 78002390, listed November 21, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Station Rd., Cheyney |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | November 21, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002390 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 39.93025, -75.51423 (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 78002390.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6225918
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.