Home in Merrittstown offers buyers a piece of history
Submitted photo
An inground pool is a modern amenity found on the two acres that serve as the setting for this Merrittstown home.
The fireplace in the living room was once covered by a wall until owners, Carol Getz and her husband, uncovered it. (Photo courtesy of SWC Properties)
Hopewell
Pictured is one of the bedrooms in the 1700s house for sale along Hopewell Road in Merrittstown.
The kitchen features doors that lead out to the inground pool.
Hopewell
One of the fireplaces in the Hopewell house.
Hopewell Cover
Hopewell
Along Hopewell Road in Merrittstown is a testament to history built out of stone, glass and hard work.
A lush green yard and mature trees sprawl before this historic house that is situated on more than two acres at 107 Hopewell Road.
Enveloped in a combination of original sandy stone and clay colored clapboard the house offers not just a roof over a person鈥檚 head, but a piece of history.
鈥淚t was built in the 1700s,鈥� said Carol Getz, homeowner.
Getz and her husband, who took ownership of the home in 1967, opted to restore of the house that was originally built by Elijah Coleman.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have to, but we choose to,鈥� said Getz about the improvements she and her husband did to the house. 鈥淎s our family grew we added on to our kitchen, and we added on to the game room.鈥�
Including the additions, the large house boasts four bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms spread out over two floors. A basement also offers the opportunity for storage space.
The Getzs also helped uncover some of the house鈥檚 hidden gems.
鈥淭he lady that lived here built the house next to us, and she would tell us about it. She said there is a fireplace behind the wall. The one in the living room had a Ben Franklin stove in it, and we wanted to expose the fireplace,鈥� said Getz.
Because of their love of antiques, the Getzs wanted to keep as much of the original house as possible and restore what had been previously updated.
鈥淲hat happened was the lady that lived here started to modernize it. We tore out the paneling and exposed the stone, and we had the ends of the steps remade,鈥� said Getz. 鈥淲e discovered that there had been man in the moon carvings. We exposed all of that.鈥�
In addition to the steps, the house has also maintained the original hardwood floors, four stone fireplaces and original stone in some of the rooms including the foyer and dining room.
While keeping a lot of the original charm of the house, the Getzs did decide to update a few of the house鈥檚 features to make modern day life easier.
鈥淲e had the cupboards extended out because they didn鈥檛 have a lot of clothes then,鈥� she said.
While the spring house is still standing on the property, there are other historical treasures that are buried beneath the surface or have been removed.
According to Getz, Coleman had a large three-story tannery located on the property and the original tanning vats are located in the front yard.
There was also a stockade that was built, where the inground pool is located currently, that was used to protect the homestead from intruders.
Both of these buildings were razed before the Getzs became the property owners.
In fact, the Getz are the first owners that were not members of the J.U. Coleman family who originally owned the property.
鈥淚t was willed from J.U. and was never sold until it came to us,鈥� Getz said.
Even though the Getzs are going to downsize and build a smaller house, the love that they have for the house will remain in the form of the growth and restoration that they did over the years.
The current asking price of the home is $239,900 and is listed through SWC Properties.