Evansburg Historic District facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Evansburg Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
House in Evansburg
Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Lower Providence
Area	1.5 square miles (3.9 km2).
Built	1700–1875
Architect	multiple
Architectural style	multiple, primarily American Colonial, Georgian, Victorian, and Federal
NRHP reference No.	72001139
Added to NRHP	June 19, 1972

The Evansburg Historic District is a special place in Evansburg, Pennsylvania. It's like a time capsule with over 50 historic buildings. These buildings date back to the early 1700s through the 1800s. Most of them are still used today as homes or businesses. The district was officially recognized as a National Historic District in 1972.

History of Evansburg

Evansburg is one of America's very first planned villages. It was designed by William Lane, who wanted to create a settlement for the ministers of St. James' Church. In his will from 1732, he set aside land for this purpose.

Evansburg was part of William Penn's "Holy Experiment." This was a plan where different groups of people, based on their religion or background, lived in separate areas. However, they were all connected politically and economically. This idea helped shape what would become the United States of America. For example, German Lutherans lived in Trappe, and English Anglicans lived in Evansburg.

The village was once called Hustletown. Some say this was because of the "hustling" or "raffling" that happened there. Another idea is that a person named Hussel Town owned land nearby in 1773. The land was originally bought from the Lenape Native Americans in 1684. They called it "Pahkehoma," which later became "Perkiomen," meaning "the place where cranberries grow." The other creek, "Skippack," means "a stagnant stream."

The Evans family, who the village is named after, achieved many great things. Evan Evans was an early minister in Philadelphia. He even earned a special degree from Oxford University in England. Owen Evans helped build the first steam-powered mill in America. Later, his factory in Evansburg made many muskets (guns) for the War of 1812.

Dr. John Evans, who might have been a descendant, helped start Northwestern University. The town where the university is located, Evanston, was named in his honor.

Geography of the Area

The Evansburg Historic District covers about 1.5 square miles of land. The nearby Evansburg State Park is also named after the village.

Important Historic Buildings

Many buildings in the district are very old and special. One of them, the Skippack Bridge, was famous even before the district was created.

• Heyser Homestead: This old German farm has a beautiful brownstone barn and other well-preserved buildings. It's known for its excellent 18th-century stone work. Local stories say it had vats used for dyeing uniforms during the Revolutionary War.

• John Umstadt House: This house is a great example of 18th-century architecture. It's connected to important families in the Evansburg area. The land was originally granted by William Penn in 1702.

• Ann E. Casselberry House and Barn: Built around 1798-1804, this house has notable stone masonry. The barn is also very handsome. Both show great examples of late 18th and early 19th-century building styles.

• Paul Engle House: This house sits by the Skippack Creek. By 1795, it was a well-established farm. The creek was very important for the area's economy and technology.

• Society for the Propagation of the Gospel School House: This small stone building, built before 1792, is now the St. James Community Center. It's surrounded by graves of Revolutionary War soldiers and early colonists. Paul Engle left money for poor children to get an education here. It might have been one of the first public schools in the nation.

• St. James Church, Perkiomen: This church, built in 1721, was one of the first Episcopal churches in America. The current church, built in 1843, used stones from the older building. It's a great example of a rural 19th-century church.

• Funkite Cemetery: This cemetery is a memorial to Christian Funk, a Mennonite minister. He was removed from his church in 1777 because he believed Mennonites should pay the Revolutionary War tax. Mennonites are usually against war, but Funk felt paying the tax would protect their religious freedom.

• Glebe House: Part of this house dates back to 1737. It was very important before and after the Battle of Germantown in 1777. A "Glebe House" was a farm where a minister grew his own food. George Washington's troops held a war council here. It's one of the oldest Glebe Houses still standing in America.

• Samuel D. Shupe House: Built in the early 1840s, this two-story stone house was home to a merchant from Philadelphia. It's a good example of mid-19th-century architecture in the area.

• Isaac Mester House: This two-story stone house was built in 1869. It's another excellent example of mid-19th-century architecture in Montgomery County.

• George Coulter House: Built in 1817, this is another example of early 19th-century architecture. It's a two-story stone farmhouse with two chimneys.

• Stephen Rush House: This stone building, built around 1803, was an inn for travelers along Germantown Pike.

• Evansburg Inn: This large, two-story stone inn was built between 1803 and 1806. It was owned by Stephen Rush, a descendant of Dr. Benjamin Rush, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

• John Keyser House: Built between 1799 and 1804, this stone house is similar to many other old homes in the region. It once had a busy blacksmith shop nearby.

• Owen Evans House: Built between 1784 and 1805, this stone house belonged to Owen Evans, a famous gunmaker. He made 1,200 guns for Pennsylvania, which were used in the War of 1812.

• Changing House: This stone house, built in 1811, looks like a city townhouse but is in the countryside. It was sold in 1832 to the First Regular Baptist Church. They used it as their first church and for baptisms in the creek.

• Keyser's Mill: This four-story stone mill is next to the Skippack Creek. It's larger than typical 18th-century mills and is the last water-powered mill in the area.

• Peter Williams Tavern: This three-story stone building on Germantown Pike is said to be where the plans for the Skippack Bridge were made in 1792.

• Skippack Bridge: This impressive eight-arch stone bridge was built in 1792. It has carried traffic across Skippack Creek ever since. The bridge was partly funded by a lottery in 1762.

Other Interesting Buildings

• Doctors Grigg House: Built before 1813, this stone house belonged to Dr. John Ryland Grigg and his son, Dr. Jacob Grigg. They were professors at a nearby college.

• Jacob Zollers House: Constructed around 1844, Jacob Zollers was known for his stonework in Evansburg.

• Evansburg Methodist Church and the Church House: These buildings were constructed before 1842.

• Abraham Harman House: This is a good example of 19th-century stone masonry in Evansburg.

• Christian Dull House: Built in the late 18th century, this house was important for early businesses like a wheelwright shop and a store.

• Christian Rekup House: This house, built in the late 18th century, was once a woodworking shop.

• Edward Evans House: Built in 1806, this stucco house has a gabled roof and an exterior brick chimney.

• Samuel D. Patterson Jr. House: Built around 1856, this house was changed to look more English.

• Keyser Storehouse: This building, from around 1867, is a Victorian version of an English house.

• Vandersloot House: Built before 1877, this is one of two homes across from the Evansburg Inn.

• Weber House: This house has similar architecture to the Vandersloot House and was built in the late 19th century.

• Abraham Everhart House: Built around 1844, this house is still used as a home today.

• William Casselberry House: Built around 1872, this stone house is similar to another Casselberry home.

• Daniel Croll Farm: Built before 1835, this large farm included a house, barn, stables, mills, and an orchard. Daniel Croll was a gunsmith.

• Four Funkite Houses: These four homes are located at the corners of Germantown Pike and Grange Avenue. Two were built before 1811.

• Samuel Bard House: Built in 1832 by stonemason Samuel Bard, this house was modeled after a Philadelphia row home.

• Letitia Penn House: Built around 1813, this house also follows the Philadelphia row home style.

• Jesse Bean, Jr. House: Built by a carpenter before 1877, this house was once covered with slate.

• Fry Family House: Constructed around 1877, this house still belongs to the Fry family.

• Jacob Cope House: This building, constructed around 1785, was once a blacksmith shop. Today, it's an antique shop.

• Samuel and Benjamin Nutter House: Built around 1835, this house was bought by a tobacconist.

• George Evans House: Erected before 1854, this house is a good example of the Federal architectural style.

• William Rhoades House: Built after 1835, this house shows the later architectural style of the Welsh Baptists in the area.

• Christian Rosenberry Home: Built in the late 18th century, this was the home of a successful Funkite and a local official.