Rock Hill Farm
Also known as: Davis-Stauffer Farm Complex; 36cfr358
Why it's listed
Rock Hill Farm lies about a mile southwest of Welsh Run in Montgomery Township, Franklin County, on roughly 105 acres of limestone fields, pastures and woodlots. Its domestic buildings cluster along Welsh Run and the west side of Bain Road, and the farm was a single unit from 1740 to 1880. The core of the district is the Davis-Chambers house, whose oldest section is a stuccoed log structure built by the Davis family before 1793. Robert Chambers enlarged and refined it in the 1790s with a Georgian-influenced plan, raised panel doors and beaded board ceilings. The Eliab Negley house, built about 1810, and a brick house built by Joseph Negley, from 1830 to 1860, illustrate German building traditions. The farm is significant for its agricultural development, its rare 18th-century construction and an archaeological earth fast building, which documents early settlement patterns in the Cumberland Valley.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is an excellent example of a Cumberland Valley farm complex that evolved from initial settlement in the mid 18th century through the mid 20th century. Its buildings and landscape are said to show changes in regional agriculture, and the Davis-Chambers house contains rare 18th-century construction, including a puncheon flooring system. A 1994 archaeological investigation uncovered remains of an earth fast building, which is considered rare outside the Tidewater region.
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 99000880, listed July 28, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12995 and 12755 Bain Rd., Mercersburg |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | July 28, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000880 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1735 to 1948 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular, German & Greek Revival influence |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used for dairy farming; the Davis-Chambers log section serves as the home of the Conococheague Institute for the Study of Cultural Heritage, and one section of the house was updated in 1994 and serves as a rental unit. |
| Acreage | 149.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.75728, -77.87044 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 99000880.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7354465
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.