The Governor Wolf Historical Society is proud to announce they will be holding the 37th Annual Christmas House Tour on Saturday, December 2. The tour features seven private, historic homes in Bath and the surrounding countryside. The theme for this year’s tour is “Coverlets – A Warm Christmas.” Finish your day at the society’s Wolf Academy Historic Site with a free Colonial Family Fun Day featuring hearth cooking, demonstrations, colonial crafts, museum, carolers, crafts for children, raffle, display of antique coverlets, greens for sale, and food by Daily Grind.
Each week The Home News will feature one of the historic houses on the tour.
The second featured house was purchased by Patrick and Margaretta McCarty in September 2015. It was constructed of 16” thick slate slabs (as many other homes in the area) that were pulled from the Chapman quarry right up the road. It originally was the Chapman schoolhouse and now stands as a unique 2100 sq. ft. family home with lots of character. It sits on just under an acre with two outbuildings; a shed and Quonset hut (corrugated steel structure that was used as a garage/workshop).
This structure was the Chapman schoolhouse from approximately 1850 until around 1950. The school consisted of two rooms, one side for the younger kids and one for the older. Many of the children who attended the school carved their names into the exterior stonewalls, mostly in the entranceway. Former students from the school will still stop by from time to time out of curiosity and share stories and memories of their time there. After the school closed, the building was used as a textiles factory for a short time until a fire forced it to close.
In the 1970s, Jim Dymond purchased the building to renovate and raise his family in. During the renovation, he lowered all of the 30′ ceiling joists in order to create enough space, turning what was a storage attic into a second floor now containing three bedrooms and a full master bathroom. The dining room shows Jim’s vision for his home. He put in the three windows and had custom-crafted cabinets and sills put in. He also added the sunroom and patio to the home in the late 90s. To note, the Quonset hut was also added to the property. Later in 2000s, Elizabeth Dymond (daughter) added her mark on the home with the updated kitchen, where they added the French doors that came from the Nazareth Library.
Pat and Margy have found their dream/forever home, where they are looking forward to raising their family. The McCarty’s will continue to put as much love and attention into this home as it deserves, keeping Jim Dymond’s masterpiece, as well as the historical value of the Chapman schoolhouse alive.
Tickets for the tour go on sale November 11. They are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the tour. They are on sale at Bath Drug, S. Seem Antiques in Bath, Curt’s Cyclery in Nazareth, Miller Supply Ace Hardware in Allen Township and Snow Goose Gallery in Bethlehem.
Tickets are for sale the day of the tour at the society’s historic site at 6600 Jacksonville Road, Bath just off Route 512, three miles north of Route 22, between Bethlehem and Bath.
For further information, call 610-837-9015.
