> BD «PD The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, March 17, 1999 7 By MEIRA ZUCKER Post Correspondent L] Ally TRUCKSVILLE - It is 1916. The Brown family builds a house for newlyweds Isabelle and Lowther Brown. Construction is in Trucksville on a hillside along Pioneer Av- enue, the main thoroughfare of the Back Mountain. Maybe some newfangled automobiles chug up- the road to Dallas, but mostly horse-drawn buggies run the route. | The area was country then. Houses clustered along the road, offering" se- curity and comfort through the winter and neighborly visits during the w.sum- mer. Behind the homes, farmland and forests supplied food and firewood. Deer ran through back yards, and trips to downtown Wilkes-Barre provided exciternent. The house reflected the aspira- tions of the family for the newly- weds. Generously-sized rooms and closets were planned for fu- “It was always a dream of mine . . lotake an old-fashioned house | and restore it. y carol Sopko Home owner adapted to country living in Trucksville. “It was always a dream of mine to take an old-fashioned house and restore it,” says Sopko. The : Brown's house, although well- maintained, had not been adapted to cur- rent lifestyles and needs. Sopko reno- vated and ex- panded the kitchen by tear- ing out the pow- der room that had replaced the original pantry. The 1916 coal stove finally was removed (although the coal fur- nace in the basement remains). ~ “We ate pizza and Chinese food for six months,” recounts Sopko with a laugh. “The first Thanks- giving, [the contractor] put a pot under my kitchen sink — there were no pipes.” Over time, the family renovated and refinished other areas of the house. Wood floors were sanded, and painted doors were stripped to the original hard- woods. In the walk-up attic, they added a full bath and tworooms. Sopko cleverly designed numerous built- in shelves and closets to take ad- vantage of awk- ward spaces on French doors separate the dining room from the entrance is old house has had a lot of loving care the third floor. A sky- light brightens the attic bath, and new windows, in addition to the custom quar- ter-rounds on either side of the chimney, add light. Sopko’s decorat- ing highlights the turn-of-the-century heritage of the house. Refinished woods complement her Victorian furni- ture and window dressings. An origi- nal built-in china cabinet in the dining room displays a col- lection of antique china, and warm paint accents the room’swainscotting. Fixtures through- out reflect history, from the push-but- ton light switches to reproduction ceiling lights. Two deacon’s benches still flank the front door. Aremembrarice of history permeates the grounds. “It felt like we were on vacation every day,” says Sopko. The entire family grew tolove the Back Mountain. They loved the woods around their home and the nearby farms and fields. The - children adopted lost - kittens and built a small home for an infant raccoon that they nursed back to health. They sat in- the now-enclosed ° front porch and watched the morn- ing sun pass over the valley. Oe ‘And they grew up, and went to school, * and moved into homes of their own. . Now that Sopko’s children are grown, | it is time for her to. leave this house to the next generation. \ “I really enjoyed living here. I'll miss it,” she said. AE foyer. The house has three sets of French doors in all. PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK 5 YEAR HOME EQUITY LOAN ¢ ture acquisitions and the kitchen AN original featured a large butler’s pantry. light fixture, The builders chose beautiful above, woods for the floors, doors, trim, hangs in a and stairs. A front parlor with a stairway. At wide brick fireplace faced the right, street, and on either side of the deacon's v Ww mantle, French doors opened to benches the wide front porch. The Browns lived in the house straddle the nearly their entire adult lives. In front porch. tithe, the pines grew tall and 1/4 round shielded the home, turning the Windows sound of traffic to a hum. The give light to rhododendrons next to the porch the finished | created a jungle all summer long, attic. and dark green ivy wrapped up one side of the garage that was added sometime in the 1950s. Wika » “They were wonderful people,” | says Carol Williamson. As neigh- bors, she and her husband Rob- | ert knew the Brown family through | their generosity. They were the | kind of people to lend a hand. At | the time of the flood, Robert | Williamson was out of town, and tHe Browns helped Carol | Williamson with her three chil- a ed a fh Sal alma wm to choose how Home works for me! v *Annual Percentage Rate A v Payments — $19.79 per $1,000 " dpén.’ ¢ ‘After Lowther Brown's death, Isabelle Brown remained in her heme until she was 92 years old. Afthat time, she moved to be near hér daughter, Lois. “She was a very independent woman,” says Carol Williamson. “We were sad to-see her leave.” ‘New residents took her place. Cdrol Sopko and her family moved into the house on Warden Avenue in 1989. After spending their lives LJ in congested areas of New Jersey, shie and her children eagerly borrowed for five year term PR / Other terms available First Liberty" Bank & Trust nro | Just the facts The house is listed by Four * Star McCabe Realty, at *$159,900. It has 5 “bedrooms, 2 baths, gas “heat and low taxes. ) & To find out more, call - Sandy at 674-9950. x 1 } a sr 2 Counsult your tax advisor regarding deductiblity of the interest. Rates are subject to change without notice.
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