“That grand old
poem called Winter.”
~ Henry
David Thoreau
~ 1817 ~ 1862
This authentic Pennsylvania German farmhouse,
picturesque 19th century barn and corn crib paint a peaceful, rural
winterscape after a fresh February snowfall at the historic 1756
Troxell-Steckel Farm Museum, Egypt, Pennsylvania.
The Coplay Creek runs through this 31 acre property,
which was once part of a 400 acre farm. The centerpiece of the property is a
stone farmhouse, built in 1756. A spring house, barn and corn crib are also on
the property. The farmhouse is an authentic Pennsylvania German farmhouse and
offers an example of Lehigh County agricultural history. The Troxell-Steckel
house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
It is the region’s only authentically complete
Pennsylvania German farmhouse, resembling its medieval ancestors and giving a
captivating glimpse of the area’s farm history.
The Pennsylvania German farmhouse was constructed in
1756 by John Peter Troxell, an immigrant from Germany in search of a better
life. When the structure was built, twenty years before the Declaration of
Independence was signed, this farm sat on the edge of wilderness. George
Washington was only 24 years old, and America was ruled by the King of England.
At the time, the house was reported to be the largest residence on the
Pennsylvania frontier. The fortress-like masonry walls of this structure are
more than two feet thick.
In 1768, John Peter Troxell sold this farm to Peter
Steckel, another immigrant from Germany. Pennsylvania Germans were one of the
largest immigrant groups in Eastern Pennsylvania. Their traditions enriched
American culture.
As someone of Irish-German heritage, I love getting a
glimpse into Pennsylvania German history in the area.
This historic site is owned and operated by the Lehigh
County Historical Society and is open for seasonal tours and events.
The Troxell-Steckel Farm Museum may also be accessed
from the Ironton Rail Trail, which loops more than nine miles through Whitehall
Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township.
The Ironton Railroad was a
shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore
and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted
to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20th
century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of
Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.
In 1996, Whitehall Township
purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the
Ironton Rail Trail.
