Benjamin B. Leas House
Encyclopedia
Benjamin B. Leas House, also known as Shirleysburg Female Seminary, Fort Shirley Site, and "The Rock," is a historic home located at Shirleysburg
in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
. It was built in 1850, and is a 2 1/2-story, rectangular red brick building, five-bays wide and measuring 41 feet by 32 feet. It has a rear kitchen / servant's quarters wing. The house is in the Greek Revival
style. The house was built on the site of Fort Shirley
, originally built in 1755. The house was used for a seminary from 1855 to 1866, as a resthome for members of the German Baptist Church from 1885 to 1893, then housed the Shirleysburg Female Seminary until about 1903.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984.
Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania
Shirleysburg is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 140 at the 2000 census.-History:Shirleysburg was originally the site of, and takes its name from Fort Shirley, a French and Indian War fort...
in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,913.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. It was built in 1850, and is a 2 1/2-story, rectangular red brick building, five-bays wide and measuring 41 feet by 32 feet. It has a rear kitchen / servant's quarters wing. The house is in the Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style. The house was built on the site of Fort Shirley
Fort Shirley
Fort Shirley was a fort erected by the Province of Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War.-History:During the mid-1750s, the mountainous ridges and valleys of south central Pennsylvania were an important theater for colliding European and Native American cultures...
, originally built in 1755. The house was used for a seminary from 1855 to 1866, as a resthome for members of the German Baptist Church from 1885 to 1893, then housed the Shirleysburg Female Seminary until about 1903.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984.