White Horse Farm, also known as the Elijah F. Pennypacker House, is a historic home and farm located in Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The original section was built around 1770. In the 19th century, it was the home of abolitionist

Elijah F. Pennypacker Elijah F. Pennypacker (1804–1888) was a politician, abolitionist and station master in the Underground Railroad in the United States, leading up to the American Civil War. He operated in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Pennypacker's home, White H ...

and served as a station on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. The farm was added to 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 1987.White Horse Farm
Aboard the Underground Railroad, National Park Service

History

Elijah F. Pennypacker (1804-1888) served in the Pennsylvania State Legislature as a colleague of Thaddeus Stevens from 1831 until 1836, when he left to focus on the antislavery cause. He became president of the

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

abolitionist societies. In 1840 his home became a station on the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves arrived from three different routes, and were sent north to Norristown and other stations to the north and east. Poet and abolitionist

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

said of Pennypacker, "In mind, body, and brave championship of the cause of freedom, he was one of the most remarkable men I ever knew." ''Note:'' This includes The house is a -story,

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

ed stone structure with a gable roof. The oldest section dates to about 1770, as a simple two-story, two bay one room over one room house. About 1810, a two bay section was added to the north, and about 1840 a two-story, two bay frame section was added to it. The house was remodeled and expanded in 1915, with the addition of a two-story rear section and one / two-story front

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

with

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

capitals. The remodeling incorporated Georgian Revival design details. Also on the property are a contributing barn (c. 1810) and spring house.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Colonial Revival architecture in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1770 Houses in Chester County, Pennsylvania Houses on the Underground Railroad National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania 1770 establishments in Pennsylvania Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania