Stephenson-Campbell House
Also known as: Stephenson Log House
Why it's listed
Set in a valley called Reissing Hollow in Cecil Township, the Stephenson-Campbell Property centres on a log house built in 1778 by David Stephenson. Its 34-foot length and 16-foot depth, with a center sandstone chimney and hewn logs 12 to 14 inches high, make it unusually long for an early log house in the region. The house was abandoned for many years before Pittsburgh insurance adjuster J. Sherman Campbell bought it in 1928 and restored it as a summer retreat. The Campbells added a 1929 Sears mail-order bungalow, a springhouse and a garden built around a spring-fed lagoon-shaped pond. The property is significant for its log construction, its rarity in Washington County, and its early role in the Conservation Movement's back-to-nature retreats in the area.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the log house is the oldest known log house in Washington County and one of few pre-1780 log houses surviving in Western Pennsylvania, with an unusually long single-pen plan and a center chimney. The 1928-29 restoration and landscape design by a Pittsburgh family are presented as an early local example of the Conservation Movement's back-to-nature retreats.
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 02000891, listed August 22, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | At the endof Tomahawk Claim Lne. off of Reissing Rd., Cecil |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | August 22, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000891 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1778-1952 |
| Architectural style | no style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Architecture, Other |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in 1928-29 and remodeled for year-round use in 1975; the log house and grounds are described as in good condition. |
| Acreage | 22.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.34231, -80.19465 (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 02000891.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7610979
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.