Historic Menallen Township farmhouse hits the market
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Bill and Linda Kozlovich are selling their historic 1870s Menallen Township farmhouse. Located on Route 40, the home is full of historic details.
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Bill and Linda Kozlovich are selling their historic farmhouse, at 7881 National Pike in Menallen Township.
An undated photo of the farmhouse at 7881 National Pike in Menallen Township
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Bill and Linda Kozlovich
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Bill and Linda Kozlovich hold an undated photo of their home at 7881 National Pike, Menallen Township. The couple has decided to put their historic home on the market.
An 1870s folk Victorian farmhouse in Fayette County is full of historic details that reward those who are looking for them.
The imprints of hardware long-removed can be seen on door frames of the 7881 National Pike house, original siding peers out from existing trim, a walkway is camouflaged under grass and hidey-holes that once held treasures are waiting to be discovered, said Bill Kozlovich.
Kozlovich and his wife, Linda, are history buffs, and they settled in the Menallen Township house after searching for a home with historical significance.
“We’ve just always enjoyed history and we enjoy old architecture,” Bill Kozlovich said, adding that their vacations often take them to places like historic battleships, battlefields or simply marveling at historic doors and windows. “We just can’t get enough of it.”
They are selling the house to relocate to Florida. They hope the buyers of the home will be people who appreciate the history like they did.
SWC Broker of Record Scott Cavinee said the location of the house adds to the historic value of the property.
“The coolest thing about the house is that house is on our country’s first national road. That was the United State’s first interstate highway. That house been there for 150 years watching all kinds of things happening,” he said. “That house has seen so many changes. If those windows were eyes and they could tell us the things they’ve seen, it would be pretty cool.”
Historic records call the home “The Crossland House.” It was built by John C. Ward in about 1870 on a 134-acre lot, which was sold to Greenberry Crossland in 1876. Crossland’s son, Elijah Crossland, inherited the house in 1888. By then it had expanded to 152 acres.
He, too, was a successful farmer and expanded the property to 189 acres. He died in 1919, and his wife lived there until she died in 1924. Their five heirs sold the property to Justin M. Kunkle, who parceled out the property. The house was sold with a 2.5-acre lot to the prominent Colley family, known for the Peter Colley Tavern and the Abel Colley Tavern.
The Kozlovichs’ personal history in the home started 15 years ago when their search for a historic farmhouse ended as they pulled into the driveway.
“We looked at so many Victorian farmhouses over the years. Then we pulled up to this one and I said, ‘Oh yeah. This is it,'” Bill Kozlovich recalled.
The house had some rare amenities that sweetened the deal, he said. The bedrooms were sizable for a 19th Century home, and they included good closet space. There is a fireplace in every room – a throwback to the days of wood burning stoves – although some are sealed.
A spacious master bathroom was once the servant’s quarters, and included a back stairwell that is now sealed, Linda Kozlovich said.
Cavinee said his favorite feature of the house is an “extra-wide hallway” with a large window looking out onto the National Road. He said he envisions the new owners placing chairs in the hallway to look out onto the road, which he imagines previous owners did over the decades back to the time wagon trains made their way down Route 40.
The house was built in two stages, and the original front door is now located near the kitchen. The laundry room is located in the former spot of a large porch, and a former outhouse and two wells were also located on the property.
There are at least two hidey-holes in the house which were used as safes to hold jewels or other valuables.
“One drove me crazy for years until I finally got it open, and nothing was in it,” Bill Kozlovich said.
A large tree with seven trunks is nearly as old as the house. It was little more than a sapling in historic photos. The size of the tree, adjacent to the separate garage, places the house in its historical perspective, said Linda Kozlovich.
“The picture shows it as a newly planted tree,” she said. “That tree is enormous now.”
Cavinee said he is looking forward to marketing the house.
“Whoever gets this house is going to be a lucky person,” he said.
He said the home is appropriately priced in the low $300,000 range. For more information on the home, visit swcrealty.com.