Schaeffer House
Description and history
The Alexander Schaeffer House stands in a farm complex on about 90 acres (36 ha) of land on the south side of Schaefferstown, with its principal access drive leading west from South Carpenter Street. The oldest portion of the structure is 2+1⁄2 stories in height, built out of coursed rubble limestone joined with lime mortar. It is set on sloping land, which provides for banked entrances on the ground level and second floor. Window placement is irregular, and the multiple entrances serve different functional purposes. The ground floor spaces originally had dirt floors and were treated as a work space even in the house's early days, while the upper level had a living space with three rooms, serving as kitchen, parlor, and bedchamber. The interior retains 18th-century wide flooring, doors, and hardware, although whether those things date to the original construction or later alteration is unclear.
This basic plan, built about 1738, was altered in 1771 by Alexander Schaeffer, who purchased the property in 1758, and for whom the town is named. He extended the building with a two-story addition, constructed with similar materials to those used in the original. The ground floor space under the original section had a vaulted storage space built into it, with a large kitchen for operating a still in the upper floor of the addition. The fireplace in the original kitchen was also adapted for use in the distillation process. Schaeffer probably acquired this property in order to provide spirits for a tavern he operated on the main road in town.
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
References
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 7/25/11 through 7/29/11. National Park Service. August 5, 2011.
- ^ Tim Noble and James A. Jacobs (April 2010). "National Historic Landmark Nomination Form: Schaeffer House" (PDF). Retrieved March 1, 2012.