The Evolution of the Preserve
In 1997 this picturesque parcel of land was purchased for its outstanding, immense stone bank barn. Over the next 20 years, gradual repairs were made to the roof and pointing of the barn, as well as general study of the property and all the structures on it.
About fifty yards away from the barn, on a hillside overlooking Kreutz Creek, sat what looked like it might be a log house, but in 1997 it was obscured beneath a red tin roof and layers of 20th century siding. Beginning in 2009, the roof and siding were carefully removed and there emerged an intact mid-18th century log house, complete with a very steep roof with a sweep or kick to its bottom edge. Careful documentation of the log house ensued. Dimensions were recorded through architects’ drawings, and photographs were taken for the Preserve's archive. Over the subsequent four years, a thorough, clue-based restoration of the house proceeded, taking it back to its original early state, gradually removing the changes and additions that inhabitants had added over the preceding 250+ years.
With the careful guidance of Joseph Kindig III and many other experts in the field of early Pennsylvania vernacular architecture, and the skillful work of artisans working in the time-honored manner of our predecessors, this unique example of 18th century life in Hellam, Pennsylvania was brought back into the daylight.
