The Dunbar-Creigh House

The Dunbar-Creigh House. A Splendid Example of Early Pennsylvania Stone House Architecture. , Constructed between 1794-1809 of Pennsylvania stone, this 'bank' house has served as a residence, a legal and law office, an inn and a stage coach stop. John Dunbar purchased a lot measuring 150 feet by 60 feet from borough founder Abraham Landis and initially constructed a log building. Now long dismantled, this simple house stood behind the later stone structure, and for years served as a hand-made nail factory run by Joseph H. Kennedy., The present three-story stone building measures 28 feet by 30 feet with a 19th century summer kitchen attached. Wooden pegs hold together the framing system and much of the house still contains the original pine flooring. While the walls on the main floor have been drywalled, exposed stone surrounds a large fireplace. Stone walls on the second and third stories remain covered with horsehair plaster. One will find original six-paneled wooden doors with fine early trim throughout the house. An original banister and stairs from the second to the third floor remain., Between 1820 and 1827, while Landisburg was the county seat, the ground floor held the Registrar and Recorder of Deeds office managed by Benjamin Leas and Jacob Fritz. Just two doors from the court house and under the name of The Lawrence Inn, the stone structure provided a coach stop and rooms for politicians and western travelers. In 1834, lawyer John Dunbar Creigh purchased the house from his mother, Eleanor Dunbar, daughter of the original owner. John Dunbar Creigh is notable as the first attorney admitted to the bar in Perry County., There have been multiple owners since 1871, many active in community and civic affairs. In 1979, this residence took its place on the National Register of Historic Places as an outstanding example of an early Pennsylvania stone edifice which has served multiple uses for over two centuries. It stands as testimony to the architectural, innovative and construction skills of the first generation who called Landisburg home.