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]
White Chimneys | |
 White Chimneys, March 2010 | |
   | |
| Location | 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Gap, Pennsylvania on U.S. Route 30, Salisbury Township, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°59′43″N 76°2′24″W / 39.99528°N 76.04000°W |
| 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 |
History
editOriginally 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
editThe 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
edit- ^ 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.