Submitted by Leona Baker for the Historical Society of Salisbury Township

Since Salisbury Township's inception, properties have been bought and sold. Small houses, as well as mansions, have been built. Additions to the buildings have been made. Often, the "old" has had to make room for the "new." Salisbury Township has more than 60 buildings and farms worthy of preservation. Many of the farms are officially in a preservation program.

Unfortunately, preservation of buildings is often very expensive. Sometimes, when buying a property, the new owner has ideas that are not compatible with preservation. Occasionally, parts of an old building will find a home elsewhere. In the case of Bellevue, the Martin house, formerly on the corner of Route 30 and Newport Road (Route 772) and demolished several years ago, parts of the old house were moved to another venue. The staircase and one of the chandeliers from the house are integrated into a building at Stone Gables Estate, near Elizabethtown.

Alternatively, the new owner may not consider actively preserving a building, but opts for demolition. Rising Sun Tavern, which once stood beside Bellevue, is an example.

Occasionally, there is no plan at all. The building just sits there, waiting to fall of its own accord. On Route 30, just west of White Chimney Estates, stands what was once Amos Slaymaker's beautiful Sign of the John Adams tavern, built in 1794. Today, the old tavern itself is a private home, lovingly preserved by the present owners. Across the once dirt road stands the barn that sheltered customers' horses.

Almost certainly, some of Gen. Lafayette's men and horses were housed and stabled at the tavern during his triumphant grand tour in 1825. The 200th anniversary of that tour was re-enacted with great celebration in July 2025.

Today, that old barn sits on a small triangle of land once owned by the township. However, it has for years belonged to Urban Outfitters. Not always on the owners' minds, it has been slowly deteriorating. That is all about to change.

Richard Hayne, CEO of Urban Outfitters, plans to rescue the barn, architecturally remove it to his residential property and rebuild it as an office/guest house. At the March board meeting of the Historical Society of Salisbury Township, Michael Gladnick of Gladnick Landscape Architecture presented drawings of the proposed plans. The plans were on display at the March monthly meeting of the society.

While it is unfortunate to have another bit of Salisbury Township moved to a venue outside the municipality, it is even sadder to watch the old building deteriorate on its own. Several years ago, society members' own investigation through the doors and windows showed wagon wheels and assorted barn equipment haphazardly flung about the floors.

Closer investigation was, at the time, considered unsafe. Any attempt to photograph the inside of the building may be even more hazardous today, but Gladnick has agreed to let society members photograph the outside from many angles, attempting to capture the essence of the inside and its contents.

When the barn will be moved has not yet been decided, but it is most likely this spring. The historical society has made its best efforts to preserve the history of the barn.