Denison House
Also known as: Colonel Nathan Denison House
Why it's listed
Built in 1790 by Colonel Nathan Denison, this two-and-a-half-storey frame house on Denison Street in Forty Fort follows the plan of 18th-century New England houses, with a single large square chimney at the centre and three bays across the front. Clapboard covers the frame, and the original timber structure of large primary timbers with smaller secondary members survives beneath it. A rear wing was added in the middle of the 19th century. Denison, a Revolutionary War soldier, was one of the first officers at the Battle of Wyoming and later signed the capitulation of the Wyoming patriot forces to the British after that battle. The house is valued because it resembles his Connecticut home and because central-chimney New England houses are very rare in Pennsylvania, where many German-style houses with circular chimneys survive instead. The interior has been restored to its state in 1850 or earlier.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with Colonel Nathan Denison, a Revolutionary War soldier and early officer at the Battle of Wyoming. It is also considered a rare surviving example of an 18th-century New England framed house with a central chimney, which is uncommon in Pennsylvania.
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 70000550, listed December 2, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 35 Denison St., Forty Fort |
|---|---|
| County | Luzerne County |
| Listed | December 2, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000550 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1790 |
| Architectural style | 18th century New England type |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and open to the public, according to a 1978 letter in the file. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 41.29938, -75.86249 (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 70000550.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5257815
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.