Corson, Alan W., Homestead
Why it's listed
A stone house of two and a half stories with a gable roof and stucco finish stands near Plymouth Meeting in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is first recorded in a 1734 deed of transfer. The original three bays on the left date to before 1734, and three bays on the right were added in 1820. The house is six bays wide and two rooms deep, with walls about eighteen inches thick, raised panel doors, six-over-six and six-over-nine sash, and original window frames. Its interior retains much original woodwork, moulding, and several simple fireplaces with mantels. A stone smoke house also stands on the site. Alan Corson, a Quaker active in local meetings, used the property as one of Pennsylvania's early nurseries, with an apple orchard of some 2,000 varieties, and as a boarding school called the Alan Corson Seminary of Learning. He corresponded regularly with the botanist John Bartram. The house is valued for its unaltered state and for its role in illustrating eighteenth- and nineteenth-century rural life.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is significant for its long association with Alan Corson, who used it as one of Pennsylvania's early nurseries with an apple orchard of about 2,000 varieties and as a boarding school, the Alan Corson Seminary of Learning. It is also presented as architecturally meritorious as a relatively unaltered example of a large mid-eighteenth-century stone house in southeastern 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 73001649, listed June 19, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5130 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | June 19, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001649 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1734-1820 |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in extremely fine condition both interiorly and exteriorly. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Within district | Cold Point Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.11687, -75.26495 (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 73001649.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4708029
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.