Houseknecht Farm
Why it's listed
Begun about 1890 by Josephine and O. M. Houseknecht in Moreland Township, Lycoming County, this working farmstead includes a two-story center-gable farmhouse, a Pennsylvania-type bank barn with an extended forebay, a late nineteenth-century machine shed and corncrib, and a stone-walled barnyard that suggests swine raising. The farm was assembled from land first held by Thomas Bitler, a Pennsylvania German immigrant who acquired 402 acres in 1849, and it has remained in the same family ever since. The property is listed for its agricultural importance. Its crops and livestock in 1927 closely matched township averages, and its buildings reflect local patterns of diversified production, family labor, and the shift from horse to gasoline power after 1940. The barn's lower level keeps original dirt floors and a long stable partition, which is unusual for Pennsylvania barns of this type. Family records also describe home canning, butchering and cider making as part of the household's farm economy.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is significant under Criterion A for Agriculture because its buildings and landscape show a strong, layered record of change in the North and West Branch Susquehanna diversified agriculture region from about 1860 to 1960. Its crop and livestock levels are close to township averages for 1927, and its barn retains unusually intact lower-level features. The farm is also described as a century farm held by one family since 1849.
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 07000795, listed August 7, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 812 J. Houseknecht Rd., Moreland |
|---|---|
| County | Lycoming County |
| Listed | August 7, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000795 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1890-1956 |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The farmhouse has replacement aluminum siding, shutters and porch, and the barn has been expanded and altered, though the document describes the farm as having integrity. |
| Acreage | 175 |
| Coordinates | 41.17838, -76.64681 (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 07000795.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5915899
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.