Gaddis, Thomas, Homestead
Also known as: Fort Gaddis
Why it's listed
Built of hewed logs between 1758 and 1770 on land south of present-day Uniontown, the Gaddis Homestead is a one-room log house about 26 feet by 20 feet, one and a half stories high, with a gable-end cooking fireplace and a half-story room above. An addition on the north end and a west porch, shown in photographs from 1900, had been removed by the 1920s, leaving only a chimney that was later lost as well. The house was home to Thomas Gaddis, his wife, and their eight children, and it served as a local settlers' fort during the Revolutionary War period. Gaddis held a colonel's commission in the Virginia militia and is described as leading local defense and campaigning against Native American groups in 1778. Later he was involved in the Whiskey Rebellion excise protests, was prosecuted in Philadelphia in 1795, and was found guilty of a misdemeanor for raising a liberty pole. The house is regarded as the oldest building in Fayette County.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is the oldest known surviving building in Fayette County and a remnant of a settlers' fort used during the Revolutionary War era. It also connects the property to Colonel Thomas Gaddis, a Virginia militia officer whose role in the Whiskey Rebellion-era local events is described in the Statement of Significance.
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 74001782, listed April 26, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Uniontown off U.S. 119, Uniontown |
|---|---|
| County | Fayette County |
| Listed | April 26, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001782 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Fair condition; original site; ends clad in rolled asphalt siding and roof in rolled asphalt roofing. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 39.86716, -79.74405 (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 74001782.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5471190
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.