Byecroft Farmstead [†] is a fine example of the add-on character of many eighteenth century dwellings in eastern Pennsylvania. Owned for almost three centuries by descendants of the first occupant, an early Pennsylvania settler, the farmstead also offers an important record of the evolution of an ancestral seat.
The Byecroft farmhouse is an example of an architectural style that was once very common in eastern Pennsylvania. Built in'stages over a period of almost three hundred years, the structure, nevertheless, displays a sense of planned symmetry. The interior reinforces the country flavor of the exterior. Most of the rooms haVe fireplaces, including one walk- in chimney that was used for cooking. Two rooms have original open-beamed ceilings, one which is hand-hewn oak, and the upstairs bedrooms have handsome wood panelling. Original hardware, including door locks and hinges, add to the authenticity of the house. Unadorned and almost simple in appearance, the house reflects the rural elegance of colonial Pennsylvania.
The original occupant of the farmhouse was Thomas Bye. Bye came to Pennsylvania in 1699, purchased a 600 acre tract of land from William Penn, and built a log cabin. Since that time a portion of Bye's tract has remained in the possession of Bye descendants. Three years after Bye's purchase, his wife and children joined him in Pennsylvania. To accomodate his family. Bye built a stone addition to the cabin. It is this addition, built in 1702, that now forms the oldest part of the Byecroft farmhouse (a fire destroyed the log cabin in 1708).
Between 1702 and 1710 the house gained local prominence as a temporary Quaker meeting house. Because of the distance to a permanent place of worship. Bye allowed nearby Quakers to use his home for their weekly meetings until the congregation was able to build a meeting house of its own. it was during this eight year period that the house became known as "Old Congress" by the Quakers who met there.
After inheriting the house in the late 1720's. Bye's son, Nathaniel, added on to the structure a stately 2h story, three bay, stone section. A successful skinner, trapper and farmer Nathaniel was also responsible for building a substantial barn, "old Bye Barn", on the property. These additions established the Bye farmhouse as one of the premier homes* in the area. Nathaniel's son, Thomas, further expanded the structure in 1775. Thomas built a 2 story stone section onto the gable end of his father's addition. The father of seven children, Thomas also added a bedroom khove his grandfather's section. Later generations of Byes continued to make important additions to the property.
In the 1830's a third floor was added to the section of the house built in 1775. In the last half of the eighteenth century a large frame barn with a stone base was built adjacent to the "Old Bye Barn." Other buildings, including two carriage houses, were also added, and a few outbuildings were removed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The last important addition to the house was a llg story section at the gable end of the 1775 addition. Now a modern kitchen, this addition was made in 1935.
The Byecroft Farmstead offers a rare lesson in the evolution of one family's home over almost three centuries of use. Reflecting the rustic elegance that typified many early Pennsylvania homes, the structure is also a good example of add-on architecture.
† Adapted from: Margaret Bye Richie, Owner, May, 1983. Byecroft Farm Complex, nomination document, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
Byecroft Road