I?—Uncaittf farming. Saturday. March 6. 1976
Farm family renovates century old house
By SUSAN KAUFFMAN
Feature Writer
If you have considered restoring your old stone far
mhouse to its original condition* then you should visit
Melvin L. and Kathryn M. Shertzer, Millersville, Ri.
During the past four years they have removed plaster to
uncover stone walls, opened ceilings to reveal the original
beanu, refinished oak and pine floors and scrapped layers
of paint from cabinets, woodwork and stairs to bring out
the natural beauty in a bouse nearly 200 years old.
Hie Sbertzers live on a 100-acre dairy farm purchased
18 years ago. The history of the beautiful pointed stone
house readies bade to 1760, according to courthouse
records and the ages of neighboring homes. For 14 years
the Sbertzers left the interior of the house as it was when
they took possession. However, in 1973 they started in
tensive and time-consuming restoration, beginning with
the basement. The next year the children’s bedrooms and
the kitchen were restored and remodelled. In 1975 the
dining room and living room were refinished and the
master bedroom was finished early this year.
Mrs. Shertzer explained many people comment about
their starting in the basement. The basic reason for
selecting the basement as a starting point was the fuel
shortage. Hie old double basement had a daylight side
which had a huge walk-in fireplace and the family wished
to utilize it for heat in the new family room to be made
there. To transform the old basement into an attractive
and enjoyable room the Sbertzers spent long hours
chiseling off the old plaster on the walls, fireplace and
ceiling so that the original stone walls and band cut beams
0&&
Gardeners may have ‘uncanny’ future
By MELISSA PIPER
For the past two years sharp increases have
been noted in the amount of home gardens
maintained by the American public. Much of the
increase can be attributed to the increased food
prices and a general feeling that eating natural
foods is better for your health.
A recent report stated that during the bicen
tennial year, the amount of American homes having
gardens would increase by million putting the
final tally at 35 million. And while that indicates a
whole lot of lettuce, radishes and cantaloupes, it
also means that about four percent more families
will also use canning as a food preservation method
this year.
Those figures bring back memories of last
summer when our telephone here rang constantly
for days because of shortages of canning lids. It
also conjures up the stories of “black-market"
selling and an overbuying panic which swept the
country as home canners struggled to preserve
their produce.
The mam concern still spawning is just what
supplies of canning equipment will be available
when the summer goods come to a ripening peak.
Mr. and Mis. Mehrin Shertzer remodeled their older farm house from the basement to the kitchen.
Homeste,
and girders could be exposed. Once the plaster was
removed the stones were sand blasted and new mortar
was added. The beams, along with ail the floors, stairs,
cabinets and woodwork were finished with a clear
polyurethane varnish to retain the natural color of the
wood. The huge fireplace still has the original log across
its top.
Williamsburg colors were used throughout the house as
Mrs. Shertzer moved from one room to another patching
and painting. Mr. Shertzer had the tedious task of
scrapping old paint from the woodwork and cabinets. The
bedrooms were done in antique white walls, Williamsburg
green or red trim on the chair rails, windows, clothes pegs
and base boards. The ceilings were painted with
Williamsburg white-wash a very white, textured paint
applied with a white-wash brush. The pine floors were
sanded and finished with a clear varnish.
The spacious, warm kitchen with its dark cabinets,
harvest table, brick fireplace and large tilt-top bench is
inviting to the eye and very convenient with its Coming
cooktop stove and modern dishwasher. The cabinets
above the counter were stripped and refinished and the
lower cabinets were made to match the upper ones. The
fireplace was opened and faced with brick. The walls are
antique white, accented with gold trim. The dining room is
antique white with blue woodwork and the living room is
white, accented with green. Both rooms have the white
washed ceilings.
The deep windows have most of the old glass panes in
them and when a pane does need to be replaced, Mr.
Shertzer uses an old pane he has found at auctions. The
family vacations in the mountains of Sullivan County and
Country Corner
Win there be another year of panic, hasseted
shoppers and senate hearings? At least in my mind
the answer is still to be determined.
A release from one of the major home canning
manufacturers which reached our office this week,
claimed that they would be producing at least 65
percent more replacement caps and lids for this
year's canning season.
While this estimate seems temporarily
reassuring it should also be noted that the same
amounts of canning accessories will be distributed
to the areas as last year. The manufacturer will be
taking the average amount of supplies sent to an
area during 1974 and 75 and this is what the
distributors will have to offer. If a substancial
amount of new gardeners begin their harvest in an
area then the supplies may not be enough for
everyone concerned. This is one aspect of the
situation which may need correcting.
The leading company also stated that if supplies
are needed in one area of the country then "with
the cooperation of the distributors amounts can be
diverted promptly to other areas.” We hope this is
true but again last year the promptness was not
always carried out.
d Notes
enjoy looking for bargains in antiques at public auctions
while they are there. One novel idea the Shertzer* have
used is to transform the large pulley wheels once used to
hold threshing belts into small tables with marble tops.
The Sbertzers have several family antiques such as a
desk made around 1850 -by Abe Herr of Lampeter, a
marble-topped table, and a washbowl set, to name a few.
Raymond Rohrer, Manbeim, RS, Mrs. Shertzer’s brother,
refinished many items for them and made the harvest
table, benches and tilt-top bench now In the kitchen.
Whim asked what the most difficult part of foe whole
restoration was, Mrs. Shertzer answered foe chiseling off
the plaster from the stone walls in fob basement. Mr.
Shertzer said taking the varnish off the steps! They warn
anyone starting such a task as theirs to allow plenty of
time for the work to progress and to expect the unex
pected delays and problems to come. Their greatest sense
of reward came from turning foe basement, “a hopeless
sight into something warm, enjoyable and inviting,”
remarked Mr. Shertzer.
One unusual item in the house not touched in the
restoring process is a smokefaouseroom in the attic. It is a
metal-lined room approximately 8 feet by 8 feet. Slits in
the chimney were opened in the past to allow the smoke to
enter the room at the floor level then return to the
chimney through slits at the top.
During these four years of scrapping, painting, plan
ning, foe Sbertzers have been operating 250 acres and
milking 70 cows with the help of their children: Jay -17,
Stephen -16, Kay -13 and Scott -11. Jay and Stephen are
—All the statistics and estimates arepurely con
jecture at this point however, many factors will
really determine if enough home canning supplies
will be required. Drought, floods, frosts and insects
along with a host of other possibilities will no doubt
have an effect on the need and it will take months
before a conclusion can be drawn.
If the manufacturers are giving the consumers
correct estimates then perhaps no panic will avail
this summer but if information seems difficult to
access again this year, with the home canner
coming up short, then another season will be spent
in concern.
Consumers as well as the manufacturers will
have to work together if this summer is to be more
pleasant. Panic buying of canning supplies is
certainly no answer to the problem and often leads
to decreased supplies. Thus pay a little more at'
tention to your neighbor’s needs. Also, I hope the
manufacturers will turn their attention to th(
needs of each area with well founded judgements
If this cooperation exists then perhaps hom<
gardening will be enjoyable and helpful as it wa:
intended to be.
Continued on Pact 44]