John Merrick House (1793) - Fallsington, PA - Pre-Victorian Historic Homes on Waymarking.com

Fallsington is an authentic 300-year-old quaker settlement. This village pre-dates other Friends historic districts by at least 50 years. Little known, and underrepresented in history books, it is one of the best existing examples of authentic pre-colonial life in America. There is a decent history of this village found in a nice book called The buried past: an archaeological history of Philadelphia By John L. Cotter, Daniel G. Roberts, Michael Parrington. It can be found on Google Books which can be found HERE (page 363-367). One last interesting note, looking at Google Earth, it is clear to see this village, via Main Street, was at one time connected to the Lincoln Highway.

This is one of the most important structures in this quiet community. It is certainly one of the oldest. In the nomination form, this narrative is the second longest so it have a lot of cultural value to this historic district.

The home was built circa 1793 as a home by John Merrick, a cordwainer or shoemaker. Its construction is of a fieldstone exterior and a wood frame interior. As already mentioned, it was first used as a home. In 1799, it was licensed as a tavern and operated as one until the Prohibition era. The tavern offered food and lodging to farmers and travelers. In the 1820’s it was owned by the Fallsington Inn Company. After the Civil War, a large frame addition was made to the front and the name changed to the National Hotel. Originally, the bar was on the main floor. In the National Hotel days, it was in the basement, along with the local holding cell. In the 1920’s it became a lodge hall, then a hardware store. Following acquisition in the 1960 by Historic Fallsington, the addition was removed revealing the original facade and footprint of the building. The current owner is Historic Fallsington, Inc.

Anyone interested in learning about Quaker influences in Colonial America are advised strongly to come here. I visited this site with my friends Dennis and Jeff to log a virtual cache and were rewarded with some wonderful sites and history.

In 1971, the Village of Fallsington was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This nationally-registered historic district takes its name from nearby "Falls of the Delaware." Immediately surrounding the historic district is a neighborhood of residences of various ages, circa 1700's to 1990's. This old stone home house is one of four crucial contributing structure to the historic district. It is a wonder it does not have its own listing. The following comprehensive text is excerpted from the original district nomination form submitted to the Department of Interior in 1971.

"Stagecoach Tavern, built some years before 1798, when a liquor license was granted to operate it as a tavern. The building belonged to John Merrick, a well-to-do cordwainer, whose will of 1793 tells much about the village at that time. In 1820 the Fallsington Inn Company purchased the property for $2000. An advertisement in the "Bucks County Intelligencer" of November 10, 1855, describes it this way: "Good two story Stone Tavern House...Old established stand and doing business for many years...Village handsomely situated and fast improving, surrounding country is surpassed by none, society of first order, convenient to meetings, mills, stores, mechanics, and schools..."

After the Civil War the name changed to the National Hotel. High, and commanding the square, the tavern was where itinerant circuses performed; in the basement bar prisoners were kept in detention; World War I veterans were welcomed home on the front steps of a wooden addition by the proprietress. Prohibition closed its doors, and it was sold to the Knights of the Golden Eagle. In 1934 it was turned into a hardware store, and so it remained until bought and restored by Historic Fallsington, Inc. in 1960.

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