Nearpass House
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Why it's listed
Built about 1820 as a single-gabled, one-unit-deep wooden farmhouse on the edge of Mill Rift, the house was constructed by Balthus Nearpass, who cleared the land and farmed it. Its post-and-beam frame uses broad-axed beams and sawn planks, and it has a dug-out half cellar with a dry-laid stone foundation. The roof pitch and overall form recall New Jersey and Hudson Valley Dutch building traditions of the period. Peter Knickerbocker added a lean-to on the west end around 1840. The house is significant as the only surviving building from Mill Rift's earliest settlement period, before the Erie Railroad reached the valley in 1848 and brought quarrying and summer boarding houses. Its combination of age and original fabric, including a seven-foot ceiling and six-over-six windows, is regarded as a notable example of early nineteenth-century Upper Delaware architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the only remaining building from the early settlement of Mill Rift, predating the railroad, and a rare local example of early 19th-century residential architecture. Its age combined with a high level of architectural integrity is presented as distinctive within the Upper Delaware Valley.
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 93000849, listed August 19, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Cemetery Rd., Westfall Township, Mill Rift |
|---|---|
| County | Pike County |
| Listed | August 19, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000849 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1820-1848 |
| Architect / builder | Balthus Nearpass (builder of the original house); Peter Knickerbocker (lean-to addition, ca. 1840) |
| Architectural style | Early 19th century vernacular |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | No longer used as a dwelling; the interior is used only for storage and the building shows signs of deterioration. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.41863, -74.74114 (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 93000849.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15261441
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.