Norvall Hunter Farm

One of Mechanicsburg's first doctors, Obed Horr was also among its earliest businessmen.[2]^: 17 Operating a store in partnership with Joseph C. Brand from 1832 to 1837.[3] he was successful enough to build his net worth to $4,000 by 1836.[2]^: 29 Besides practicing medicine and keeping his store, Horr was an active member of the community: he was the first Worshipful Master of the Mechanicsburg Masonic lodge, starting at the lodge's establishment in 1843;[2]^: 52 he was a prominent citizen, judge,[4]^{: 393–394} and he trained others for the medical profession.[4]^: 363 Horr died at Mechanicsburg.[4]^: 379 In 1863, a family of Hunters settled in Mechanicsburg, having emigrated ultimately from Virginia, and within the year they had purchased Horr's home.[5]

The Hunter Farm comprises eleven historic buildings,[1] centered on the high-style farmhouse. Built in 1850, the farmhouse is a two-story structure built of brick; architectural elements such as its pilasters and recessed entryway are constructed with evidence of influence from both the Greek Revival and Italianate styles. Three barns, three sheds, two other farm-related buildings, an additional storage building, and a garage form the rest of the farm complex; these ten outbuildings and a privy are placed in two clusters.[5]

In 1985, the Norvall Hunter Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying both because of its distinctive historic architecture and because of its place as the home of a leading local citizen. It is one of twenty Mechanicsburg locations on the Register; all were listed at the same time as part of a multiple property submission because the village's high proportion of non-historic buildings frustrated locals' initial hopes of designating a larger historic district.[6]