Submitted by Leona Baker, Historical Society of Salisbury Township

For the past few months, "From the Attic" has featured buildings along Lincoln Highway that Marquis de Lafayette passed during his 1825 tour through the nation, including the Mount Vernon Inn, the Patterson house, the Stoltzfus house, the Ellmaker House, the Kennedy House, White Chimneys and the Sign of the John Adams tavern.

But there were other buildings, such as farms, mills and churches, many older than the township itself, that were sprinkled around the Pequea Valley. In 1985, and again in 1996, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission designated several areas as Salisbury Township Historic Districts, eligible for state and national recognition. 

Unless owners formally act upon the state recommendations for recognition, these buildings are not protected from the next owner's whim. For instance, the Rising Sun Historic District included four early-1800's buildings at the crossroads of Newport Road (Route 772)and Lincoln Highway (Route 30). Today, only the Kennedy house remains, itself not registered.

Now part of another historic district is threatened - the Slaymakertown Historic District, with the Sign of the John Adams and its adjacent barn, three houses that were once part of the White Chimneys Estate and White Chimneys itself. White Chimneys is the only property now officially on the National Register of Historic Places. At present, the John Adams is owned by a family that treasures the historic home. Readers are invited to attend the November meeting of the historical society when former owners Jim and Brian Martin will reveal a few of its secrets.

And buildings not quite as old have been lost. The Bishop Eby Farm on Brackbill Road is now a pile of rubble among the cornfields; the Hensel carriage house next to the Gap VFW had to be demolished. In 2003, historical society volunteers re-roofed the Fisher house of Buyerstown.  That building fell to the need for a new one-room parochial school. These are the buildings the 21st century remembers. Many more disappeared, not even thought of today. 

Are there any buildings of great age remaining in Salisbury Township today? The answer is a resounding yes! But every day brings the possibility of another one disappearing. Fortunately, many new owners are very eager to learn the history of their home and come to the society for that history.  

The historical society keeps an eye out for sales of old buildings, asking the owners if members may photograph throughout, just in case the new owner wants to tear it down.  The society gets calls about buildings in danger of being razed. When members cannot stop the demolition, they can ask the owners if they may photograph from attic to cellar, so at least there is some memory of that house or business. 

The society recently made a photographic history of a 1900s farmhouse; the new owner wished to demolish it to build a barn on the site. On the other side of the coin, the owner of a newly renovated house in White Horse is currently waiting for society members to photograph its treasured now-exposed interior log walls.

The Salisbury Township Historical Society is a part of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County project to update the 1996 record of historic buildings throughout the county. Volunteers are checking the status of those in Salisbury Township. Those who live in a house that is 100 years or older are asked to contact the society via its Facebook page so that it may update deeds and information. 

To learn more, search for "Historical Society of Salisbury Township" on Facebook.