A24-Lancttt*r Farming, Saturday, April 10, 1993
Lutz Family
(Continued from Pago A 1)
89 acres, of which 30 are tillable,
and the rest woodland or open
grassland.
Lutz said he has lived on the
farm all but 10 years of his life (for
a short while, in Kempton). He
loves the land, which is evident in
all the time he spends taking care
of it, including his favorite part, the
orchard.
The orchard, according to Lutz,
has many different varieties of
fruit, including 16 varieties of
apple, eight of peach, eight of
plum, seven of pecan, four of apri
cot, four of English walnut, two of
black walnut, two of hickory, and
one of almond. He has also planted
cherry trees, many of which still
exist, in addition to four varieties
of grapes.
Finding time away from full
time work at the freight company
has left him little time to manage
Lutz, who has spent a great deal of time sorting through
old documents and digging up information, recalled how
fragile the old deeds were you had to be careful not to
easily tear pages because they had become so brittle
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A Fraktur details the Lutz family hist
This recent aerial photo shows the farmstead. The white building in foreground was
once used as a milkhouse.
Enjoys Life
the varieties, however. About the
varieties, he said, “I have the best
bloodlines, but that doesn’t do you
any good. You can have the best
encyclopedia on the shelf, but
unless that knowledge is
used
Lutz said the orchard “has been
an interesting experiment,” and
for the time off, “it’s better than
silling around the house watching
television."
Much of that philosophy dates
from when Lutz used to listen to
his father, who, like many early
residents of the valley, struggled to
make a living. Lutz said his father
“had a saying, It’s better to wear
out than to rust out.”
Purchased In 1858
The farm was purchased in 1858
by his great great grandparents.
Issac and Sybilla Lutz. “They
were using English money at the
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Lester Lutz said he lives in the “Switzerland of northern Berks.” On one side lie
what countians refer to as “The Pinnacle” and, on the other, the majestic Blue Moun
tain. The Lutz Farm recently honored as a Century Farm, with more than a 100 years
in the family sits In the lush valley. Photo by Andy Andrews.
lime the transactions were
recorded,” said Lutz. “Not in dol
lars and cents, but pounds.”
Lutz, who has spent a great deal
of time sorting through old docu
ments and digging up information,
recalled how fragile the old deeds
were you had to be careful not
to easily tear pages because they
had become so brittle. Many docu
ments show that, on the deeds,
often the names are used with dif
ferent spellings. His great grand
father’s name, “Alanius” on the
deed, was spelled “Lenius” on the
tombstone. “Sybilla” was often
called “Sybia.”
In fact. Lutz has kept a careful
family tree, noting births, mar
riages, and deaths of the entire
family. Logs on the family name
are kept in Frakturs and on an
extensive, typed out family tree,
wound up in a scroll which Lutz
handles with great care.
The one-time fanner has kept an
entire library on the Lutz family
history, noting important events.
One event was a model bam con
struction demonstration he pre
sented at the 1972 Pennsylvania
Dutch Folk Festival at Kutztown,
published, with his photo, in the
April 1973 issue of National
Geographic.
But his love rests with the nearly
The one-time farmer has kept an entire library on the Lutz
family history, noting Important events.
90 fruit trees that line the hill near
est the homestead. He said they are
in need of upkeep now, and as soon
as fair weather arrives. Lutz said
he’ll be tending to them. He’ll also
be planting more trees.
Of the trees, Lutz said, “They
j name are. ipt on an extensive, typed
out family tree, wound up In a scroll which Lutz handles with
great care.
were fun to take care of when they
were little puppies. My wife said,
who is going to take care of them
when they’re fully grown? Well,
they’re fully grown.”