Frost, Josiah, House
Why it's listed
Built of coursed, hammer-dressed sandstone around 1816-19, this two-story house sits about twenty feet from the south side of the National Road at Searight's Corners in Menallen Township, Fayette County. Its rectangular plan, symmetrical four-bay front, and massive end chimneys reflect the vernacular Federal style. Josiah Frost, whose initials are carved on the east corner of the wall, likely used it as a residence or as a support building for the Searight Tavern across the road. William Searight acquired the house in 1821 as part of a 113-acre sale, and the tavern grew into one of the largest along the road in Pennsylvania, offering blacksmithing, wagon and saddle making, a post office, and a general store. The house is the only remaining building from that complex. Its period of significance runs to 1853, when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reduced traffic on this stretch of road. Its surviving form recalls the crossroads' role for drovers, wagoners, and stagecoach travelers.
Significance in brief: The house is regarded as the only surviving building of the Searight Tavern complex, an important stop on the National Road during its early nineteenth-century heyday. It is also presented as a good example of vernacular Federal-style architecture in southwestern Pennsylvania, with retained features such as the massive end chimneys, boxed cornice, and paneled wood doors.
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 96001209, listed October 24, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S side of US 40, W of Searight's Corners, Menallen Township, New Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Fayette County |
| Listed | October 24, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001209 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1816-53 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered rear and southeast end, including a 1930s concrete-block rear addition and 1970s window replacement; the document does not state current use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.95512, -79.80565 (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 96001209.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6290494
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.