You Beautiful Jerkinhead

The Heston House

See that strange, stubby looking dormer? That's a jerkinhead roof on a wonderful old Newtown house.

The Heston House stood on South State Street near where the liquor store is today. John's Barber Shop was a carriage house on the same property and is shown on the 1886 atlas. The rear portion was built in 1723, as evidenced by a date stone found when the house was demolished. The two-story front portion of the house was built in 1798 by Aaron Phillips, blacksmith, who tore down the old log house and blacksmith shop. The log house was rumored to be the home of one of Newtown's first settlers, James Yates. Another possible location for Yates' home is this.

1886 Atlas Dr. George Heston

Date stone from original portion of house

John Atkinson, whose involvement with the Doans of Plumstead is well known, lived in the house during the Revolution and carried out blacksmithing from his stand on the property. 

Atkinson's Doan connection

Atkinson Property for Sale

Heston House RPPC

A story goes Thomas Ross, an early owner of the home, and his wife didn't live the happiest of lives together, so the wife lived in the front and the husband stayed in the rear of the house. At the time there was no connection between the front and rear of the house. 

Rear, original portion of house circa 1723

Unfortunately the house was razed in 1967 to expand the parking lot of Stockburger Chevrolet. Another beautiful Newtown house gone too soon.