Heiss, William A., House and Buggy Shop
Why it's listed
Three frame buildings in Mifflinburg, Union County, make up the Heiss family complex tied to the Heiss Buggy Works. The house at 523 Green Street was built in 1870 and sold to Mrs. Catherine Heiss in 1872. Her son William Heiss, a coachmaker, moved into the present shop in 1889, and built the two-section buggy shop that year, with a blacksmith shop at the front containing its original double forge and bellows. A display-storage center on Quarry Road followed in 1895. Mifflinburg was known as the buggy town of Pennsylvania, with more than 25 buggy shops producing vehicles from 1841, until the car brought decline after 1890. The complex is valued because the shop still holds its buggy-making tools, equipment and partly finished buggies, and because its interior has changed little since production ended. The property is significant for its industrial and commercial connection to that local trade.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the buildings are valuable to Mifflinburg, known as the buggy town, because the shop retains its buggy-making tools, equipment and partly finished buggies. It states that the shop is a well preserved example of buggy making, with an almost untouched appearance since it closed. The town's buggy industry, which began in 1841 and declined after 1890 as cars appeared, provides the context.
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 79002348, listed August 6, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 523 Green St., Mifflinburg |
|---|---|
| County | Union County |
| Listed | August 6, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002348 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | William A. Heiss (builder of the buggy shop and display-storage center) |
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The buggy shop is described as unpainted with a corrugated iron roof in poor condition; the house has fire damage to its rear and needs foundation restoration; the display-storage center retains its original tan paint with red trim. |
| Acreage | 2.7 |
| Coordinates | 40.91463, -77.04846 (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 79002348.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8003972
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.