Snyder, Caspar, House
Also known as: Blue Ball Tavern
Why it's listed
Built around 1798 along the Harrisburg Horse Road near Sunbury, this two-and-a-half-story brick house with a cross gable ell operated as a tavern called the Blue Ball Inn. Its builder, Caspar Snyder, ran it to serve travelers with meals and lodging, feed and rest for horses or oxen, a place for horseback mail carriers to leave mail, and later fresh horses for stagecoaches. Taverns of this kind were spaced about six to seven miles apart, the distance a travelling party could cover in half a day. The Blue Ball Inn was the first in a series along that road running south from Sunbury, and it is regarded as one of the few surviving examples of such taverns from around 1800. Snyder served in the Northumberland County Rangers in 1779 and 1780 and later as a lieutenant in the county militia, which links the building to frontier defense. The house has five bays, six-over-nine windows, a central door with a wooden hood, and fireplaces throughout. A springhouse beneath the ell still holds the year-round spring that shaped the site's selection.
Significance in brief: The house is one of the few remaining taverns from the network established along heavily traveled roads around 1800. Such taverns provided food, lodging, feed for animals, a mail drop for horseback carriers, and later fresh horses for stagecoaches. The Blue Ball Inn was the first of a series of these taverns along the Harrisburg Horse Road running south from Sunbury, and its history is tied to the county's early settlement and to Caspar Snyder's militia service.
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 09000101, listed November 24, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | PA 147, S. of Sunbury, Lower Augusta Township, Sunbury |
|---|---|
| County | Northumberland County |
| Listed | November 24, 1978 |
| Reference number | 09000101 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | Caspar Snyder |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Transportation, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is in fair condition, with some settling of the rear wall. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 40.78138, -76.84176 (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 09000101.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q42377591
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.