Morris, Anthony, House
Why it's listed
Built of coursed rubble in 1717 on a 25-foot square plan, this two-story house in what later became Worcester Township, Montgomery County, stands on land that Anthony Morris bought in 1717 from Sarah Harsent of Worminghurst, England. Morris was a Philadelphia merchant brewer who also served on the Supreme Court, the Provincial Council and the Assembly, and was mayor of Philadelphia. He raised fifteen children here. After his death in 1721, his executors sold the property in 1728 to Johannes Beehn, a weaver, who built a gristmill on a nearby stream whose foundations survive. The house keeps its original two-room-over-two plan, a stone fireplace with a chestnut lintel and original trammel bars, chamfered chestnut ceiling beams, and flagstone steps to a cold storage room. Its wood-frame doors were altered over time, but about four-fifths of the original building remains. Black paint traces on the window sills have been preserved.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes it as a well preserved, very early Montgomery County residence of an important early settler, Anthony Morris, a Philadelphia merchant brewer who held public offices including mayor of Philadelphia. It retains much of its original fabric, including the original floor plan, fireplace, ceiling beams, and black paint traces on window sills. The property is also associated with the later gristmill and weaving-related water use along the stream.
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 80003581, listed December 3, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N of Norristown on Stump Hall Rd., Norristown |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | December 3, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003581 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1717 |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored with care; about 80% of the original building is intact, with the exterior doors altered. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.18695, -75.36824 (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 80003581.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4773145
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.