The Lewis Smalley Homestead, also known as Lewisburg-Sycamores, is an historic, American home that is located on a property on Route 103. Situated at the mouth of the Aughwick Creek, where it meets the Juniata River in Shirley Township in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, it was built circa 1794. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978.

History and architectural features

A -story, stone building, this historic structure measures three-bays wide and thirty feet by twenty-five feet. It has a tin-covered gable roof and was made of sandstone that was obtained from the river. The house retains the original woodwork, doors, hardware and unfinished chestnut flooring, as well as three original stone fireplaces. Also located on the property is a stone

bank barn A bank barn or banked barn is a style of barn noted for its accessibility, at ground level, on two separate levels. Often built into the side of a hill, or bank, both the upper and the lower floors area could be accessed from ground level, one are ...

, measuring forty-five feet by ninety feet. ''Note:'' This includes Original hardware from the local blacksmith survives in the barn. One hinge still bears the blacksmith's mark. In late June 1863, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and just prior to the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, the property was used as part of a Union garrison, which was staffed by a contingent of more than 1,500 troops that were stationed at various locations around Mount Union. Its purpose was to guard the road, valley, and bridge to prevent the possible capture and destruction of the Pennsylvania railroad by

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

troops. In the barn, where the garrison's horses were stabled, soldiers carved their names, initials, and dates in door jambs and barn beams. Those carvings are still visible. The farm was occupied by the William Hainey Briggs family during the time of the Union encampment.Robert H. Cree, "Smalley Property History" Letter, Common Ground, Volume 13, Number 2, Winter 2001-2002, page 7. The original 540-acre property passed intact within the Smalley family until roughly 1957 when the last descendant sold it. An interim owner, Tuscarora Land Company, subdivided the original acreage in 1975. The Smalley residence now occupies twenty-eight acres. It was listed on the

in 1978.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smalley, Lewis, Homestead Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1794 Houses in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania 1794 establishments in Pennsylvania