McClelland Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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McClelland Homestead
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Buildings on the McClelland Farm
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | McClelland Road, North Beaver Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania |
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| Nearest city | Bessemer |
| Area | 2.3 acres (0.93 ha) |
| Built | 1840 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Vernacular Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000359 |
| Added to NRHP | May 17, 1989 |
The McClelland Homestead is a very old and important farm located in western Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It's found along McClelland Road, not far from a town called Bessemer. This farm has several buildings that were built in the mid-1800s. It's considered a historic site because its buildings are very well-preserved and show how people lived and built things long ago.
Contents
The McClelland Family Farm
The story of the McClelland farm began in 1807. That's when William McClelland bought the land in what is now North Beaver Township. He was a successful farmer. By 1848, he sold the farm to his son, Joseph McClelland.
An old map from 1872 shows that the farm was on the north side of what is now McClelland Road. Joseph owned the farm until 1895. The farm stayed in the McClelland family for a very long time, even into the 1980s. In 1989, the farm was quite large, about 89 acres.
Buildings on the Farm
The McClelland Farm has eight main buildings and structures. These include the barn, a silo, the main farmhouse, a small square shed, a machinery shed, a chicken coop, a hog house, and a corn crib.
Three of these buildings are especially important to the farm's history. These are the farmhouse, the barn, and the machinery shed. They are called "contributing properties" because they help show the farm's original historic look. The other buildings are either newer or have been changed a lot over time.
The Farmhouse
Joseph McClelland's house is the most important building on the farm. It's a two-story farmhouse built in the 1840s. It was designed in the Federal style. The house has a strong stone foundation. Its walls are made of brick, with decorative brickwork near the roof. The roof itself is covered with slate tiles.
A special part of the house is a large Palladian window above the main front door. This type of window is very rare in other old houses in Lawrence County.
The house was updated a lot in the late 1870s. In 1879, stylish Italianate porches were added to make the house look more modern. The inside rooms were also completely redone. After these changes, the house had eight rooms, with a hallway down the middle on each floor.
Some original parts of the house remained, like stone lintels (beams above windows or doors) and a wooden staircase. The southern part of the house changed less than the northern part. Later, more rooms were added to the northern side.
Since the 1870s, there have been other changes. A garage was made bigger, and the walls were cleaned and repainted in the 1960s. Some rooms were divided to create a small apartment. Also, the original stoves and three of the four chimneys were removed in 1966.
Even though there are two other farmhouses from the early 1800s in North Beaver Township, the McClelland farmhouse is special. The other houses are in the Greek Revival style. Also, unlike the McClelland farm, they no longer have their original farm buildings.
The Barn
The barn is a two-story building made of wood. It was built to store crops and shelter livestock like cows. On the ground floor, there are stalls for more than thirty cattle. The second floor is mostly a large hayloft for storing hay.
This barn was built around 1850. It's the southernmost building on the farm. It was built there because there was a small spring nearby that the builder wanted to use. The barn's frame is made of strong Oak timbers using a post and lintel design. This original construction is very well-preserved, which makes it historically important.
Outside, the walls are covered with the original wooden siding. The roof is covered with shingles made of asbestos. The barn has had two important changes. Part of its western end was removed after a bad storm damaged it. A concrete block milkhouse was built in its place in the 1960s.
The Machinery Shed
The machinery shed was built around 1850, north of the farmhouse. It used to hold a cider press. This is a two-story building. It was changed in 1938 when two wings were added. These wings were mainly built to store farm tools and equipment.
Today, the walls are covered with aluminum siding. However, the building is still supported by its original oak frame. This frame uses strong mortise and tenon joints, which are a traditional way of connecting pieces of wood.
Historic Recognition
In 1989, the McClelland Homestead was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history. The farm was recognized for its special architecture.
Important features like the unique Palladian window on the house and the original wooden frames of the other buildings helped it get this honor. Even though all three main buildings have been changed a bit since they were built, they still look very much like they did when they were new. Because of this, they are seen as worthy of historic preservation, meaning they are protected and kept for future generations to learn from.
