Cook, Col. Edward, House - Belle Vernon, PA
Posted by: vhasler
N 40° 07.600 W 079° 49.596
17T E 599976 N 4442476
Since its 1772-1776 construction, the home has been in continuous ownership by the Cook family for over two centuries.
Waymark Code: WMKZZZ
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 06/24/2014
Views: 1
The original portion of the Cook house was a log cabin constructed between 1772 to 1776 due to delays caused by Lord Dunmore's War in 1774. It stood where the one-story section now resides as indicated by the original chimney. The two-story section of post-Colonial design was constructed of limestone quarried on the property. The Library of Congress photograph shown on Wikipedia (secondary link 2 below) shows when the exterior had a plaster layer over the stone. This finishing was removed by the father of the current Cook resident. The current landowner then had dyed mortar added to provide a natural historical appearance.
The one-story portion of the house was constructed more of sandstone also obtained from the property. The NRHP application notes that a small modern kitchen was installed on its back; replacing the summer kitchen - of which only the chimney remains standing.
There are two outbuildings of similar construction on the property. the smokehouse is immediately adjacent to the main house, while the spring house is near the road. The barn nearby across the road was burned twice, thus only its foundation remains.
Colonel Edward Cook was a member of the Provincial Congress which convened in Philadephia in June 1776. Subsequently, he also also part of the State Constitutional Convention in September 1776. Later in life, the Colonel served as Justice of Peace and local Treasurer.
This information is from the NRHP application (secondary link below) and a long talk with the current Cook homeowner. The provided coordinates were taken when the sidewalk meets the country road.
Street address: 374 Cooks Lane Belle Vernon, PA USA
County / Borough / Parish: Fayette County
Year listed: 1978
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Person
Periods of significance: 1776, 1772
Historic function: Domestic
Current function: Domestic
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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