‘ r> - ~ PFA ladies sponsor Heritage Trail Tour By mbi issa PIPER Many of these homesteads LANCASTER During still dot the area and while the early 18th century, many the structures have been immigrants growing altered throughout the en dissatisfied with city living, suing 250 years, much of the pushed westward from the original builder’s influence Philadelphia area to settle still remains, near the rich fertile far- In keeping with the theme minnHo in Lancaster County, of the bicentennial and the Incorporating stone, hand- history of Lancaster mirmi mortar and stout logs, County’s older farm homes, the settlers built homes for the ladies of the Lancaster their, families - the at- County Farmer’s chiteCture of many in Association (associated with keeping with their native the Pa. Farmer’s traditions. Association) will be spon- Henry and Marcia Barley relax in their remodeled living room complete with arched fireplace. HAVE YOU VISITED THE NEW EXPANDED TRAVIS MILLS FABRIC OUTLET? <s-V Smr - ALL FABRICS PRICED ™ Weekend Check 0« r < For $ 5O in i Remnant Box ’l.OO t 0 | Gift Certificates! \ cn> Y(1 ’2.00a Yd. 5 winners . s io Each 50 Yd TRAVIS MILLS FABRIC OUTLET STORE VR 201 W. Lincoln Ave., Lititz, PA (Entrance on West Side of Building) MON., WED. & FRI. 9 A.M. TO 5:30 TUES. & THURS. 9 A.M. TO 12 NOON; 5; 30 TO 9 P.M 5AT.9:30T02 ,f*? *♦? 7 " v. \*%**<SMt*. soring their second Heritage Trail Home Tour on April 21. Guests will be touring six homes in the Strasburg - Millersville area which contain a legacy of americana and farming history. The foUowing article deals with three of the homes to be toured - their history and the people who have begun to share their con tinuance. Fireplaces come from Philadelphia One of the oldest homes on the Heritage Trail is the Henry Barley residence off Donerville Road near Millersville. For the past four years Marcia and Henry Barley have been working to restore their 18th century home to its original state - their most complicated task being to expose the numerous arched fireplaces which were myriad in the home. A picturesque stone farm house, the Barley home was originally constructed about 1760 by a member of the Herr family who settled near Millersville. The ar chitecture was similar to most contracted homes of the era in that hand-hewn oak logs served for the floorboards and low wide doors gave entrance to the various rooms in the house. Still in evidence are the STORE AT V .#ssss?£ l# 1 ’ German strap hinges and locks on the doors. Five .corner or arched fireplaces were in the 18th century dwelling and have been uncovered and restored by the Barleys. Unique to this area, the fireplaces were the type used in the homes of Philadelphia families and city townhouses. It is believed that the fireplaces were copied from those of the eastern cities for the residents who made Lan caster County their new home. The Barleys have four fireplaces downstairs and one in the master bedroom. Four of them have currently been exposed and redone. The Millersville area couple admit that removing the plaster and restoring the fireplaces was the most tiresome job they undertook in reclaiming their farm home which was purchased in 1967. “We’ve tried to do each room at a time,” Henry Barley noted, “it hasn’t been easy but such an un dertaking is never as easy as it looks.” The Barleys enjoy collecting antiques and frequent many of the local sales and auctions in search of toys, dishes and furniture. Marcia has purchased a number of antique iron toys </* Antique Collectors LOTS OF ROOM TO BROWSE FOR Prints Linen Look Knits Double Knits Solids & Stripes Poly Silks Lancaster Farming, Saturday. April 10,1976 Kathryn Shertzer takes a break from work and relaxes in the corner of the newly remodeled basement family room. and displays them on the windowsills of her remodeled living room. Many of the dishes are stored in an original corner cupboard that graces one wall of the main living room area. The Barley home was constructed with small niches along some of the walls and the couple has adorned these tiny shelves with collectors items and period antiques. While hoping to keep most of the hardwood floors in tact, the couple has carpeted some areas' where the oak beams had worn con siderably or where cracks had begun to widen. With careful selections in colors, patterns and textures however, the couple have kept the historical view of the home close to its original state. Along with renovating their home, the Barleys farm about 112 acres raising 500 head of steers, 40,000 pullets and 25 acres of tobacco. Henry Barley is a member of the PFA and the Penn Manor Young Farmers. Marcia is a Sunday School teacher at the Stehman United Methodist Church and devotes much of her time to their three children, Jeff -9, Laurie - 7 and Becky -4. Along Walnut Hill Road Along the twisted and Mrs. John (Betty) Kreider poses before the fireplace reconstructed in the family’s living room. winding road labeled Walnut Hill, a few miles from the Barley homestead, is a two century-old farm owned by the Melvin Shertzer family. Also to be included on the Heritage Trail, the Shertzer home - which dates back to 1760 - is a detailed example of the architecture and woodworking of the early settlers to the county. For the past four years, the Shertzers have worked carefully in renovating, remodeling and refurbishing their home. Plaster was torn from the ceilings to unveil oak beams, fireplaces were exposed from walls and stone walls were repointed. One of the most time consuming jobs of the remodeling process was to expose and restore a huge walk-in fireplace located in the basement of the Shertzer home. Careful sandblasting and new mortar was utilized to beautify the structure which constituted almost one entire wall of the basement. The basement fireplace was kept in its rugged decor but the Shertzers have added the modern touches of carpeting and contemporary furniture to turn the basement into a comfortable and cozy family room. Antique furniture pieces and collectables still grace the room and the woodwork has [Continued on Page 48] 47
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