List of the oldest buildings in Pennsylvania

This article lists the oldest extant buildings in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States, including the oldest houses in the state and certain other extant structures. Some dates are approximate, based upon dendrochronology, architectural studies, and historical records. Sites on the list are generally from the First Period of American architecture or earlier.

See also: List of the oldest buildings in the United States
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

All listed sites either date from prior to 1776, or are the oldest building in their county or large city, or are the oldest of their type (for example: churches, schools, firehouses, or government buildings).

NameImageLocationYearTypeNotes
Lower Swedish Cabin Upper Darby, Drexel Hill c. 1640–50 Cabin Possibly oldest log cabin or wooden house in Pennsylvania
Boelson Cottage Philadelphia, Fairmount Park c. 1678–84 House Oldest structure in Fairmount Park; possibly the oldest extant house in Philadelphia
Wall House Elkins Park 1682 House Oldest house in Pennsylvania which has had continuous family residency; possibly the oldest stone house in Pennsylvania
Caleb Pusey House Upland 1683 House Oldest English-built house in Pennsylvania; only extant building known to have been visited by William Penn
Hop Angel Brauhaus Philadelphia, Fox Chase 1683 Restaurant German-American fare; built in 1683 and a restaurant since the mid-20th century;[1] formerly, the Old Brauhaus, the Blue Ox Brauhaus, and the Blue Ox Bistro[2]
Pont Reading Ardmore 1683 House
Sellers Hall Upper Darby 1684 House Originally home to the Sellers family, including John Sellers, a scientist and founding member of the American Philosophical Society.[3]
Growden Mansion Bensalem Township 1685 House
William Smith House Wrightstown 1686 House
Sign of the Bird in Hand
Newtown 1686 Tavern Originally a residence, then a tavern with other uses; oldest extant frame house in Pennsylvania; site of the 1778 Newtown Skirmish during which Loyalists killed five and captured 16 to acquire cloth being manufactured for use by Washington's troops at Valley Forge; now a private residence
Phineas Pemberton House Bristol Township 1687 House
Wynnestay Philadelphia, Wynnefield 1689 House One of the oldest houses in Philadelphia
Farmar Mill Fort Washington 1690 Mill Historic mill building; original terminus for Skippack Pike
Thomas Massey House Broomall 1696, later additions House One of the oldest English Quaker houses in the state
Morton Homestead Prospect Park c. 1698, later additions House Farm founded in 1654
Edward Morgan Log House Towamencin 1700 House Home to the maternal grandfather of Daniel Boone
Gloria Dei
(Old Swedes' Church)
Philadelphia, Southwark 1700 Religious Oldest surviving church in Philadelphia
Wolley Stille Wallingford 1700 House
Langhorne Hotel Langhorne c. 1700 Tavern Built by William Huddleston; originally known as the Tavern at Attleboro,[4] until the village was renamed for Jeremiah Langhorne in 1876[5]
Brinton 1704 House West Chester 1704 House One of the oldest houses in Pennsylvania
Rittenhouse Homestead Philadelphia, Wissahickon Valley Park 1707 House Home of William Rittenhouse, the first paper maker in British North America; built by William Rittenhouse and his son Nicholas in 1707; birthplace of David Rittenhouse
Old Trinity Church Philadelphia, Oxford Circle 1711 Religious Church of England services first held on this site in 1698 in a log meeting house that had belonged to the Oxford Society of Friends.
Merion Friends Meeting House Merion Station c. 1715 Religious One of the oldest Quaker meeting houses in America
Newtown Square Friends Meeting House Newtown Township, Delaware County 1711 Religious Early Welsh Quaker settlers in one of William Penn's two planned "new towns" built this meeting house in 1711.
Hans Herr House Willow Street 1719 House Oldest house in Lancaster County; oldest surviving structure used as a Mennonite meetinghouse in America
Elfreth's Alley Philadelphia, Old City 1720–1830 Houses Claimed to be the nation's oldest residential street; two rows of Federal and Georgian brick houses built between 1720 and 1830, with a total of 32 extant houses[6]
Wyck House Philadelphia, Germantown c. 1700–20, later additions House
Stenton Philadelphia, Germantown 1723 House Home of James Logan, secretary of William Penn
Old Chester Courthouse Chester 1724 Government The oldest public building in continuous use in the United States; served as a courthouse from 1724 until 1851, and the town hall until the 1960s; now used for miscellaneous city, county and civic functions[7]
Christian Beidler's Grist Mill Berks County 1729–1738 Mill Built during the reign of George II of Great Britain, Christian Beidler's grist mill is one of the oldest commercial buildings in the United States, dating from before the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Michael Billmeyer House Philadelphia, Germantown 1730 House
Quaker Mill House
Goldsboro 1731 House One of the oldest houses in central Pennsylvania
Bartram's Garden Philadelphia, Kingsessing 1731 House The home of John Bartram (1699–1777), America's first botanist and father of William Bartram (1739–1823), himself an eminent botanist and artist
Ephrata Cloister Ephrata 1732 Religious Established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel; one of the oldest religious communities in the United States; had the second German printing press in the American colonies which published the largest book by page count in the colonies, Martyrs Mirror
Shelter House Emmaus c. 1734–41 House Longest site of continuous habitation in the Lehigh Valley area
Old Norriton Presbyterian Church East Norriton Township 1737 Religious Congregation practicing in vicinity since 1698.
Warwick Mansion East Norriton Township 1738 House Historical house owned by the local Irons works owner and a United States Army officer Samuel Van Leer. The location is listed as a temporary George Washington Headquarter.
Augustus Lutheran Church Trappe 1743 Religious Oldest unchanged Lutheran church building in the United States in continuous use by the same congregation[8][9]
Grumblethorpe Philadelphia, Germantown 1744 House
Belmont Mansion Philadelphia, Fairmount Park 1745 House
Van Leer Cabin Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania 1759 Cabin Historic cabin and one of the last historical dwellings in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Germantown White House Philadelphia, Germantown 1752 House Twice served as temporary residence of George Washington during his presidency
Old Germantown Academy and Headmasters' Houses Philadelphia, Germantown 1760 School
Cliveden Philadelphia, Germantown 1763 House Home of Benjamin Chew and scene of fighting during the Battle of Germantown
Fort Pitt Blockhouse Pittsburgh 1764 Defense Oldest structure in Pittsburgh and one of the oldest colonial structures west of the Allegheny Mountains
Harris Cameron Mansion Harrisburg 1765 House
Chichester Friends Meetinghouse Upper Chichester Township 1769 Religious Quaker meeting house first built in 1688; rebuilt after a fire in 1769.
Summerseat Morrisville c. 1770 House Only house in America owned by two signers of the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence, Robert Morris and George Clymer; headquarters of George Washington while he plotted the Battle of Trenton
Wyckoff-Mason House Verona 1774 House
Concord School House Philadelphia, Germantown 1775 School
Van Leer Pleasant Hill Plantation West Nantmeal Township, Pennsylvania c. 1780 House Historic stone farmhouse located near Glen Moore in West Nantmeal Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Tomlinson-Huddleston House
Langhorne 1783 House
Denison House Forty Fort 1790 House Oldest house in Luzerne County
Headhouse at New Market Philadelphia, Society Hill 1804 Firehouse Oldest firehouse in the United States
Dickson Tavern Erie 1815 Commercial Oldest building in Erie
Academy Hall Edinboro 1857 School Oldest normal school building in Pennsylvania; on the Edinboro University campus
Sturgis Pretzel House Lititz 1861 Commercial Oldest commercial pretzel bakery in the United States[10]

See also

References
  1. Craig LaBan (December 12, 2010). "A neighborhood eatery gets back to its German roots. There are things to like, but little lived up to one expat's expectations." (archive). philly.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  2. "About Us: Hop Angel Brauhaus" (archive). hopangel.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  3. https://sellershall.org/history.html
  4. Valone, Sally. "Langhorne Hotel" (archive). historiclanghorne.org. Historic Langhorne Association. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  5. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 181.
  6. "History". elfrethsalley.org. Elfreth's Alley Association. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  7. "Saving Chester's 1724 Court House: Oldest Public Building in United States" (archive). oldchesterpa.com. The Chester Bicentennial Committee. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  8. "Augustus Lutheran Church". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  9. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  10. http://www.fieldtrip.com/pa/76264354.htm Accessed July 27, 2007
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