Schoonover Mountain House
Also known as: Schoonover Farm
Why it's listed
Built into a bank over a fieldstone basement in Bushkill, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, the Schoonover Mountain House is a two-story L-shaped frame house whose core dates to about 1850 to 1860. It was enlarged in at least three stages before 1900, and during the 1870s it was extended to accommodate a boarding house. Later it was known as the Mountain House and offered a riding stable, scenic views, and fresh garden produce to summer guests. The house has clapboard siding, a patterned slate roof, a porch with chamfered posts and delicately cut brackets, and three brick chimneys. Interior features include random-width floor boards, beaded door and window trim, and mid-19th-century six-panel doors. Three barns and several outbuildings contribute to the setting. The property is important because it ties one long-established local farming family to the transition of the Upper Delaware Valley from farming to resort tourism, and it shows how the family kept its agricultural base while sharing in that change.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with one of the oldest families still resident in the Bushkill vicinity, and as an architectural record of economic and social change in the Upper Delaware Valley. It documents the shift of the area from purely agricultural use to a resort region, and its immaculate condition and carefully kept grounds are presented as a reflection of the long relationship between the family and the land.
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 79000245, listed August 21, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Bushkill, Bushkill |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | August 21, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000245 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1850-1900 |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Immaculately kept and in excellent condition |
| Acreage | 2.8 |
| Coordinates | 41.07905, -75.01295 (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 79000245.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7432756
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.