One of the best surviving structures of its type, the original east end was built about 1725 by Benjamin Witmer, agent for the London Land Company. It passed to his son, tavern-keeper John Witmer, and was enlarged by Henry Witmer in 1773. The family was prominent in many early enterprises, including the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike in 1792, a bridge over the Conestoga in 1800, and the first Columbia-Wrightsville bridge in 1812.