Meier, Isaac, Homestead
Also known as: The Old Fort; Isaac Myer Homestead; Isaac Myers Homestead
Why it's listed
Built about 1750 of dressed limestone with walls two feet thick, the Isaac Meier house is a two-and-a-half story country manor in Myerstown, Lebanon County. It has a three-bay front, six-over-six sash windows, and a central hall with a stairway whose hand-carved railing has spindles. A 1½-story kitchen wing on the east end, twenty feet square, contains a fireplace twelve feet wide and is thought to predate the main house. Its upper rooms are said to have been quarters for enslaved household workers. Isaac Meier bought land from Valentine Herglerode in the 1750s, sold lots and laid out a town, and by 1768 the settlement had been renamed Myerstown. Meier served as magistrate and Overseer of the Poor and donated land for the area's first schoolhouse. He was shot and killed in a Myerstown tavern in 1770 and is buried in the Old Tulpehocken Reformed Graveyard nearby.
Significance in brief: The house is associated with Isaac Meier, described as the founder of Myerstown, who bought and subdivided the land and laid out the town in the 1750s. Its 1½-story kitchen wing is said to predate the main house and to be the earlier Herglerode house, which served as an Indian fort. The form also notes the interior stairway and strap hinges as outstanding features.
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 73001639, listed April 2, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5200 S. College St., Myerstown |
|---|---|
| County | Lebanon County |
| Listed | April 2, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001639 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1750 |
| Architectural style | Country manor style |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered; original site; condition marked fair. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.36917, -76.30495 (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 73001639.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6076783
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.