White Chimneys

Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

United States historic place


White Chimneys
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

White Chimneys, March 2010
39°59′43″N 76°2′24″W / 39.99528°N 76.04000°W / 39.99528; -76.04000
Area	10.3acres
Built	c. 1720, 1790, 1807, 1923
Built by	Jones, Francis Slaymaker, S.R.
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP reference No.	75001644^[1]
Added to NRHP	April 1, 1975

White Chimneys is an historic, American home that is located in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A large white mansion directly adjacent to U.S. Route 30, the premises were listed on The National Register of Historic Places in 1975.^[1]

History

Originally built and operated between 1710 and 1720 as the Francis Jones Tavern, this historic house was the residence of the Slaymaker family between 1779 and 1999. It is a 2+1⁄2-story, five-bay building that was created using stuccoed limestone. It is topped by a gable roof with dormers and was built in four phases: the 1710-20 log cabin, a two-room addition in 1790, a large Federal style addition in 1807 and the west wing addition in 1923, which includes a ballroom. The mansion and grounds were considered a significant landmark by residents of the Pequea Valley during the eighteenth and nineteen centuries. The house's status as a prominent marker on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike made it suitable as a stop on the Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States in 1825.^[2]^[3]

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, parts of the house were opened as a museum and roadside attraction. White Chimneys has a long history as the setting of Ghost stories, with residents reporting unexplained smells, sounds and apparitions.^[4]^[3]

Current Use

The house continues to be maintained as a private residence. The grounds and formal gardens are open to the public by appointment. Most recently, the property has gained popularity as a wedding ceremony and reception venue. The bank barn and pastures are utilized for horses.

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ Slaymaker, Samuel (1973). Captive's Mansion. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-013923-4.
^ ^a ^b "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes David C. Stacks (October 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: White Chimneys" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-02-18.
^ Slaymaker, Samuel (1973). Captive's Mansion. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-013923-4.