Millmont Farm
Why it's listed
Millmont Farm lies about two miles southeast of Mercersburg in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, beside the west branch of the Conococheague Creek and Pennsylvania Route 16. Its centerpiece is a two-story, five-bay stone house built sometime between 1798 and 1821, with prominent keystones over the first-story windows, a semicircular fanlight above the entrance and a stone wing to the rear. The farmstead also includes a double log house, a stone secondary dwelling, a frame bank barn and the site of a stone grist and sawmill, which was documented as early as 1798. The Ramsey family, whose descendants included Jane Irwin Harrison, mistress of the White House, and Benjamin Harrison, the President, shaped the property's regional prominence. The farm's masonry and early Federal-era detailing are considered uncommon for the Cumberland Valley, and the complex remains a rare survivor of its milling and farming history.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is significant for its contribution to county economic history as a mill site and for its association with prominent people in national, state and local history, including the Ramsey and Harrison families. It also cites the main house as an excellent example of regional architecture, with Federal-inspired detail and precise masonry typical of the early 19th century.
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 79002233, listed April 27, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Mercersburg at jct. of PA 16 and PA 416, Mercersburg |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | April 27, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002233 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1798-1821 |
| Architectural style | Federal-inspired detail combined with a basic rural Georgian exterior plan |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The farmstead is in excellent condition and the property is still being used for agricultural purposes. |
| Acreage | 28.7 |
| Coordinates | 39.80442, -77.87293 (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 79002233.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6859889
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.