Hans Herr House

Hans Herr House
Hans Herr House, 1971 HABS photo
Location 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°58′51″N 76°15′44″W / 39.98083°N 76.26222°W / 39.98083; -76.26222Coordinates: 39°58′51″N 76°15′44″W / 39.98083°N 76.26222°W / 39.98083; -76.26222
Area 1.9 acres (0.77 ha)
Built 1719
NRHP reference # 71000708[1]
Added to NRHP May 3, 1971
Staircase in the Herr House

The Hans Herr House, also known as the Christian Herr House, is a historic home located in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1719, and is a 1 1/2-story, rectangular sandstone Germanic dwelling. It measures 37 feet, 9 inches, by 30 feet, 10 inches. It is the oldest dwelling in Lancaster County and the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in America.[2] The Mennonites who worshipped there formed the nucleus of what became the Willow Street Mennonite Congregation. It was restored to its 1719 appearance in 1972-73.

The house was used as a residence until about 1900, after which time it was used as storage space. Because it was not lived in during the 20th century, it never underwent any modernization, making it a remarkably well-preserved historic structure.

The building contains numerous architectural characteristics that have their roots in medieval south-German architecture, such as a steeply pitched roof with two attic levels, small asymmetrical windows, a date stone carved into the door lintel, a central chimney, and a staircase where each step is a single pegged into a diagonal beam.[3]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[1]

The Hans Herr House is open to the public as a museum. The house is located at 1849 Hans Herr Drive in Willow Street, Pennsylvania. The museum complex includes the 1719 Hans Herr House, the Georgian-style 1835 Shaub House, the Victorian-style 1890s Huber House, several barns and outbuildings with animals, exhibit buildings, blacksmith shop, bake-oven, smoke house, and a collection of farm equipment. Exhibits focus on Mennonite history, colonial and Victorian-era farm life, and the Herr family. The museum opened in 1974 and is administered by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes J. Michael Sausman (August 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Hans Herr House" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  3. ↑ "Hans Herr House History".
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