Formed at the turn of the nineteenth century, it centers on an 1830s farmhouse that was built for an immigrant family from Virginia.

After renting land over their first winter, Arnold bought the present farmstead from Henry Harshberger and occupied it for the remnant of his life.

The family used a log cabin during their first years at the site before significantly improving their lives by constructing the present house in 1835.

[1] The basic plan is a simple two-story rectangle, wider than its length, with windowless ends that rise to chimney-topped gables.

An extension, most of the width of the house, is attached to the rear, while a porch occupies the ell.