Berks dairy farm blends past with the future BY DICK ANGLESTEIN MOHRSVILLE - Berks County dairy farmers Ar thur and Liz Schlappich have a dedication to the past and a commitment to the future. The lane leading into the Schlappich farm about 10 miles northwest of Leesport could be considered a kind of dividing line between thteir dual relationship with these different eras in tune. On the south side of the lane stands the large stone farm house with its unique historical significance and architecture, which the dairy couple are preserving and restoring. Just across the lane is their dairy operation, which they are gradually updating and modernizing as they work toward the future. |ln a realistic and per sonally satisfying way, the Schlappichs are utilizing the present as they carefully blend the past into the future. Last month, the Schlap pich home, built m 1807, was one of the featured stops on an historical tour of Leesport and surrounding areas sponsored by the Leesport Women’s Club. The couple had more than 125 visitors who viewed not only the imposing and majestic exterior of the home, but surveyed some of its interior historical at tractions. Among the more unique of the ulterior fe; uires are the dormers in the third-floor attic which have become an Jgstoncal gallery of •klographs of former residents of the home. The walls of the three dormers contain scores and scores of names and dates of residents. “The earliest we’ve been able to find dates back to 1846,” Liz Schlappich ex plains. “That’s when this autograph tradition must have started and it has been continued all of these years.” The Schlappich family continued the wall signing started by previous residents. “Our family has occupied the house continuously since 1884,” Arthur Schlappich said. “Some of the names of ancestors include the orevious way of spelling the Hune as Schlappig.” But the house contains many more historical features of greater [mficance. Hay is fed to part of Holstein herd by Arthur replacement stock, numbers 130 head. Among them are large built-m comer cupboards on both the fust and second floors that stretch from the floor to ceiling, a three-story open winding stairyway that reaches all the way to the attic, complete with wain scoting and chau rail. Another interesting feature of the interior is the dividing of the house mto a fancy side and one that is more plain On one side of the house the window and door frames are decorated with designs either circular in pattern or even resembling the blades of a windmill. But m the other half of the house the framework is quite plain. There is every indication that both sides were con structed at the same time. Arthur has a possible explanation: “From all indications, several generations of a family occupied the house at any given time. It seems that the eldest generation always occupied the part with the fancy woodwork at the doors and wmdows. The younger. 4 : Liz Schlappich is refinishing inis built-in corner cupboard which stretches from floor to ceiling. Large cupboards are found on both first and second floors. Large stone home, called the mansion or stone accents as lintels with keystone above plantation house in old records, is found on the windows, as dividing lines between floors and as dairy farm of Arthur and Liz Schlappich, northwest archway around cellar entrance, of Leesport. Exterior features include red sand- life hlappi Dormer walls in attic of Schlappich home are a living history book containing autographs of residents over past century and a half. generations lived in the part which was more plain.” Outside, the house features red sandstone lintels above the doors and windows. A sandstone ac cent streak also extends around the front and one side of the house. But amidst this history and concern with the past, it shouldn’t be forgotten that this is a working dairy farm. The farm contains 102 acres and with rented ground, the Schlappichs farm about 250 acres. About 100 acres are planted in com, some 70 in hay and the remainder in small gram, including wheat for marketing, along with oats and barley for feed. The total herd of Holstems includes 130 head, with about 55 presently being milked. The rolling herd average is 15,500 lbs. of milk and 530 fat. Since taking over the farm in 1973 as the fifth generation of the family on the land, Arthur and Liz have been following a gradual program of herd growth, including introduction of purebred stock, and modernization and expansion of facilities. “About 10 to 15 percent of the herd is now purebred,” Arthur said. “The remainder is iden ng tified grade stock.” (Turn to Page D 32) Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 7,1980—P29 'V SI “ fel \ i. * ' Ornate winding stairway reaches from first floor into the attic of Schlappich home. It includes chair rail and decorative wainscoting.
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