National Register of Historic Places

Harlan House

Embreeville, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Listed
May 8, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85001004

About this property

Star Gazers' Stone located on Star Gazers' Farm near Embreeville, Pennsylvania, United States, marks the site of a temporary observatory established in January 1764 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon which they used in their survey of the Mason–Dixon line. The stone was placed by Mason and Dixon about 700 feet (213 m) north of the Harlan House, which was used as a base of operations by Mason and Dixon through the four-and-a-half-year-long survey. Selected to be about 31 miles (50 km) west of the then southernmost point in Philadelphia, the observatory was used to determine the precise latitude of its location. The latitude of the Maryland-Pennsylvania border was then set to be 15 miles (24.1 km) south of the point in Philadelphia. The farm, including the house and stone, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 1985. In 2013 construction was completed on a parking area to allow public access to Star Gazers Stone. Built c. 1724 near the forks of the Brandywine, the Harlan House was enlarged c.1758, and is likely the first house built in Newlin Township. The Harlan family lived in the house until 1956, and carefully preserved the location of the stone through the generations.

Location

Embreeville, Chester County, Pennsylvania
39.93852, -75.73179

Categories

ENGINEERINGEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTSCIENCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hayes Mill House
Civil War
0.1 mi
Hayes, Jacob, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Hayes Homestead
Civil War
0.3 mi
Embreeville Historic District
Listed
0.8 mi
Mountain Meadow Farm
Civil War
0.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Chadd's Ford
1777Revolutionary War
9 mi
Battle of Brandywine — Chadds Ford
1777Revolutionary War
9.3 mi
Battle of Brandywine — Chadds Ford Action
1777Revolutionary War
9.5 mi
Action at Chadds Ford (approach to Brandywine)
1777Revolutionary War
9.5 mi
Battle of Paoli Massacre (1777)
1777Revolutionary War
9.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Harlan House listed on the National Register?

Harlan House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Harlan House?

Harlan House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Harlan House?

The period of significance for Harlan House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Harlan House?

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