814-Lancastar Fanning, Saturday, May 22,1993
Three-mo Heidi Is the elg hth generation of Benners to II ve on the farm,
held by her mother Susan with grandparents Mildred and D. Edwin Benner. The house
was built in 1870. The elder Benners live on one side of the double house while Susan,
husband Leonard, and Heidi live on the other side.
Benner
Preserves
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
GETTYSBURG (Adams Co.)
Who said, “Things aren’t like
they used to be?”
Whoever made that comment
should visit the Benner Homestead
Farm in Gettysburg. There, the
farm has been in the family since
1802. The same values evident in
the 1800 s are still prominent
today: love of the land, family, and
country.
Today, the Benner Homestead
Farm will be placed on the Nation
al Register of Historic Places dur
ing a formal presentation. The
farm is considered historically sig
nificant because it has preserved
the agriculture lifestyle of the past
The farm was surveyed by the
Penns as part of the 43,500 acres
laid out for the Manor of Maske.
Boundaries were marked with axe
marks on the trees. At one time,
three of the trees were still stand
ing on the Benner property, but
now only one of the trees remains.
Three generations of the Benner
family now live in the double
farmhouse. D. Edwin and his wife
Mildred of 52 years live on one
side. Their daughter Susan, her
husband Leonard, and 3-month
old Heidi live on the other side.
D. Edwin farms the land similar
farm.
Homestead Farm
Agriculture Heritage
to those of his ancestors. He uses
no pesticides or herbicides.
Although he has tractors, he pre
fers to do much of the Field work
with horse-drawn equipment on
the 14S acres, and he thinks water
drawn from a hand-dug well and
sipped from a tin dipper tastes bet
ter than running water in the house.
Susan works full time in the
operating room of the local hospi
tal but she much prefers working
on the farm. Rec'ently, she added
25 sheep to the farm’s melange of
animals: S horses and mules, 20
beef cattle. 3S hogs, and a mixture
of 200 chickens, geese, ducks, and
turkeys that roam the property.
The farm is within six miles of
the Gettysburg Battlefield. Susan
said that her great grandfather
could hear the soldiers as they
walked up Taney Town Road but
no soldiers invaded the farm.
However, Civil War bullets and
arrowheads have been found on
the grounds. Susan’s great
grandfather was there to hear Pres
ident Abraham Lincoln proclaim
the famous Gettysburg Address.
Although no ground was sold
from the original landholdings,
some ground was given to build
the Mt. Joy Lutheran Church and
parsonage in 1851. The Benners
continue to be involved there. D.
Edwin has been elected Sunday
School superintendent for 50
years. Each family member was a
Sunday school teacher and held
other leadership roles. Susan plays
the organ.
Political involvement is another
part of the Benners’ heritage.
Susan said that one of her ances
tors was a congressman. When
Susan was only a few months old,
President Eisenipwer held her in
his arms for a picture-taking ses
sion when he went to the polls to
vote. The Eisenhower farm is a
neighboring farm to the Benner
Homestead. With such a heritage,
Susan said that she had no choice
but to be a Republican. Her mother
is a past president of the Republi
can Women and a township audi
tor. Susan is a state committee
woman for the Republican Party
and has held other offices in the
local organization. Along with
many political artifacts, Susan has
a cross-stitch picture that pro
claims: “Republican bom. Repu
blican bred. When I die. I’ll be
Republican dead.”
Both Susan and her mother
attended the National Republican
Convention in Texas last year.
“But my first love is home and
farm,” Susan said. She is thrilled
that her daughter can grow up with
her grandparents living in the same
house. “I think grandparents are
important in one’s fife. I had a lot
of good experiences growing up
with mine,” said Susan who is an
only child.
In keeping with her love for her
heritage. Susan’s wedding in 1990
incorporated some traditions of the
past The groom wore her great
grandfather’s suit and rode by
horse and buggy to the Benner
Homestead where the wedding
took place. Surrey rides were
given to wedding guests. And, an
old-fashioned pig roast was held
for the reception.
Susan said the homestead,
which was built in 1870, has been
the site of weddings, baptisms,
funerals, and public suppers.
The original house is built of
logs. Susan said that it was her
decision to have the house vinyl
sided because “I hated to see Dad
dy climb up to the high point to
paint it”
The red-painted barn with louvered vents, a wooden silo,
and a metal windmill signifies the autheticity of agricul
ture’s past on the Benner Homestead Farm.
She does enjoy watching him
farm with mules, horses, and the
wooden-wheeled grain wagons
made in 1900.
“Daddy enjoys the peacefulness
af horses,” she said. “It’s cost effi
cient He uses the tractors for
plowing, but the horses for hay
oaling. And, he still makes the old
fashioned com stalks.”
D. Edwin practices crop ro&tion
md finds it effective 1 for pest and
weed control.
‘This was always an organic
arm even before organic farming
was popular.” Susan said.
“I think we have just as much
/ield as anyone else.” D. Edwin
•aid.
He advises that other farmers
should watch machinery expense.
“There’s nothing that kills quicker
(financially) than machinery," he,
said. “If you can expand without
going in debt, it’s OK, but if you
need to borrow, it doesn’t pay off.”
He trims the fence rows on the
farm by walking with a power
scythe. The sheep are supposed to
keep the meadow trimmed, but
they prefer “Mom’s flowers.” A
herd of goats was quickly sent to
market when they invaded the
garden.
Susan sells lamb to local
.ig v
National Register of Historic Places are treasured by the
Benner family. The farm was surveyed by William Penn who
notched the trees to show the land boundaries. Only one
tree with the axe markings still visible remains on the farm.
restaurants after taking it to
inspected butcher shops.
The Benners home butcher hogs
and beef. Twelve to IS relatives
come for the day-long affair and
the dinner that Mildred prepares.
Because Susan’s husband is a
stone mason, he recently built a
stone fireplace in the old summer
house located in back of the house.
The Benners estimate that the sum- 3
merhousc was built in the late'
1700 s. They also chinked the logs
and renovated the summerhouse
that still has the original wide floor*
boards.
Many family heirlooms and
antiques that were stored in the
attic during the past eight genera
lions of Benners who lived in the
home are now in use. Susan had
the parlor suite rcupholstcred and
placed in the parlor with the an
tique baby carriage and cane rock
ing chairs. Numerous pictures
from the attic arc now hung on the
downstair walls along with heir
loom displays of dishes and knick
nacks. A pair of candlesticks that
once belonged to Napolean Bona
parte’s brother set on the Gothic
Revival mantelpiece in the parlor.
Numerous pieces of antique furni
ture are used throughout the house
(Turn to Pag* B 16)