84-Lancasler Farming, Saturday, May 6, 1995 Oley Valley Farm: Where Ufe Is Simpler And Lovelier LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Fanning Staff OLEY (Berks Co.) Six years ago, David and Lorin Tuttle had never heard of Oley Valley. But the minute they drove down the lane to the 1769 stone home sur rounded by acres of rolling farm land and hills of scattered wood land, they fell in love with the area. “It was like a whole new world in the middle of nowhere,” Dave said. Vacationers at their Little House Bed and Breakfast, a renovated spring house, feel that same sense of awe at the pristine beauty of the Tuttle’s 12S-acre farmstead. Tan catalpa (bean) trees stand like sentinels guarding the stone 18th century home, which was built by a Quaker farmer. The area is known for its many surviving pre-revolutionary houses and the entire Oley Township has been placed on the National Register of Historic Districts. “We were Long Island duck far mers,” Dave said as he explained how and why they relocated to the Olcy Valley. When Dave and Lorin woe growing up. Long Island was mostly inhabited by folks that could trace their roots back to the Mayflower and to England. Like the Amish and Mennonites. the Long Island families were proud that they could trace family inter ''itional ties for r tendons. As —is quilts, LoHl >aprot jientquilter.it. Tuttle's quilt collection hat been featured in quin books and Is often shipped to Japan for quilt exhibits. Jl, the tui ,coi jls. Two green houses have been erected and a third one is in the plans. Lorin and the children grow 80 varieties of perennials to sell to wholesalers and landscape garden centers. “But we won’t turn sway any customer,” Lorin said. the island became a popular vaca tion spot for the well-to-do, land prices climbed There was no where to expand Dave’s family’s duck farm with it’s processing plant For several years, Dave and the family co-op contracted farmers in Lancaster County to raise ducks. Every week, Dave flew to Lancas ter airport to bring baby ducks to local farmers and to take about 123,000 back for slaughtering. In 1987, the co-op wearied of the restrictions placed on them from the population growth. "The neighbors in the resort areas would send their maids to complain that a duck feather or that straw floated into their swimming pool,” Dave said of the frustration of dealing with a changing environment When reassestment trippled the taxes on the coops’ properties and processing plant the company decided to dissolve. The Tuttles wanted to escape to a quieter place, and decided upon Lancaster County until they saw an ad for an Oley Valley farm while reading the Lancaster Famine. That was the first time thp Tuttle’s learned that Oley Valley existed. The farm property had been rented out for 15 years and the place was overgrown in poison and briers. ‘The inside walls were painted a Pepto Bismol pink,” Dave said. “It If Dave and Lorin Tuttle’a 1769 home maintains Ha pristine loveliness in the ml Oley Valley’s rolling fields and scattered woodland. fJOMESTEA «Jm mmt took a lot of work, most of what we did ourselves” The Tuttles restored the proper ty for several years before moving “*!*?• , . , _ guide and was soon learning all she ■ We were so about mov- cou about quilts through books jng, Lonn said. But after we and a ffj en( j w j, o j s a deafer. mov«l. reality hit We lost our if s old quilts, not new ones, that identity. We were no longer duck n le>s attendon . fanners well-known by everyone Thcy now have about 150 quilts in the area, but totally that are featured in several historic anonymous. quilt books and used in exhibits in But the Tuttle s are both friend- Japan and other faraway places, ly, outgoing people who seem to They also lecture on quilts for his be more Pennsylvania Dutch m, tor fe aiK j auctioneering societies, ongm than stereo-typed New After attending many auctions Yorkers. They soon established to purchase quilts, their interests" friendships with church and com- was wet(ed collecting homc munity, and for them and their ma de type sewing boxes/ quilt three children, Betsy, 14; Warner, S ( ani p St spool shelves, tape mea -12, and Sarah, 9, the area is an sureSt pin cushions, and other answer to their dreams. related antiques. Lorin said that she had always The couple’s home is filled with admired quilts, but knew little antiques not passed down about them. After purchasing her through the family but from first quilt, she bought a pricing - um t 0 Page B 5) The Tuttles furnished their home with sntiques. lectibles purchased from five years of attending auctions every Saturday. Lorin said that her husband Is trying to teach her to buy one good thing at a sale Instead of purchas ing box lots of Junk to sort through. Istol
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