Connely-Holeman House

The story

Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com

The Connely-Holeman House is a Second Empire style house at 317 Chestnut St. in Pleasantville Borough, Venango County, built in 1869 to 1871.

Why it's listed

It was listed under Criterion C, with local-level significance in architecture; its period of significance runs from 1869 to 1887, reflecting construction in 1869 to 1871 and an 1887 addition.

Physical character

Weatherboard walls with tongue and groove siding sit on a stone foundation, under a mansard roof trimmed with iron cresting and covered in synthetic roofing. A covered porch with Corinthian columns and a three-section bay window fronts the house, with a black walnut staircase and eight fireplaces inside. A rear addition was built in 1887, and 1985 renovations closed the day room and rear porch exits and converted a larder into a bathroom. Etched glass transoms removed around 1980 were replaced with plain glass in 2005, when the plaster walls and oak wainscoting were also exposed and repaired.

Historical context

The borough was chartered in 1850, oil was discovered in 1865 when a boom also began, and a fire devastated it in 1872. The house served as a primary residence from 1871 to 1944. Ashbel Holeman bought the house in 1888 and died there in 1898.