White Chimneys
# White Chimneys

White Chimneys is an historic, American home that is located in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A large white mansion directly adjacent to U.S. Route 30, the premises were listed on The National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

## History

Originally built and operated between 1710 and 1720 as the Francis Jones Tavern, this historic house was the residence of the Slaymaker family between 1779 and 1999. It is a 2+1⁄2-story, five-bay building that was created using stuccoed limestone. It is topped by a gable roof with dormers and was built in four phases: the 1710-20 log cabin, a two-room addition in 1790, a large Federal style addition in 1807 and the west wing addition in 1923, which includes a ballroom. The mansion and grounds were considered a significant landmark by residents of the Pequea Valley during the eighteenth and nineteen centuries. The house's status as a prominent marker on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike made it suitable as a stop on the Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States in 1825.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, parts of the house were opened as a museum and roadside attraction. White Chimneys has a long history as the setting of Ghost stories, with residents reporting unexplained smells, sounds and apparitions.

## Current Use

The house continues to be maintained as a private residence. The grounds and formal gardens are open to the public by appointment. Most recently, the property has gained popularity as a wedding ceremony and reception venue. The bank barn and pastures are utilized for horses.

