Northumberland Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Priestley, Dr. Joseph, House (Cross Keys Inn); Pries
Why it's listed
Northumberland's historic district occupies a regular street grid between the North and West branches of the Susquehanna River, with houses dating from the 1790s to the 1930s. Its housing stock includes Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival examples, mostly brick and frame. The Joseph Priestley House, built in 1797 of lumber dried on site, is a frame Federal house that is a National Historic Landmark. Priestley lived here during his last decade and conducted experiments, including the discovery of carbon monoxide. The town also developed as a canal and river junction after the Pennsylvania Canal reached it in the 1830s, which shaped its commercial and hotel buildings. The district is valued for the range of its residential architecture, which the nomination describes as broader than that of neighbouring Sunbury or Milton. Of 236 buildings, 73 are noncontributing.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its broad collection of residential architecture spanning Federal through early 20th-century styles, which the nomination says is the most consistent record of its kind in the county. It is also tied to Reverend Joseph Priestley, the English scientist who lived in Northumberland from 1794 and discovered carbon monoxide there, and whose house is a National Historic Landmark.
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 88002313, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Fourth and A Sts., North Shore RR and Wheatley Ave., Northumberland |
|---|---|
| County | Northumberland County |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002313 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1794-1938 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Queen Anne, Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Science, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 27 |
| Coordinates | 40.88842, -76.79374 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 88002313.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q3344246
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.