"I am into barns," said Lloyd Ziegler, a member of the Pennsylvania Historic Farm Structures organization. "(Members) go around documenting all these old barns because when they're gone, they're gone," added Ziegler. Because of his interest in barns, Ziegler was excited to discover a chevron house door, which had been recycled as a granary entry door in the bank barn of the Zimmerman or Old Wallace Plantation along Route 322 in East Earl.

Ziegler sent a photo of the door, which has been donated by the barn's present owner to the New Holland Area Historical Society, to his friend Greg Huber, an architectural barn historian and author of "The Historic Barns of Southeastern Pennsylvania: Architecture & Preservation, Built 1750 - 1900." Huber, who lives in Macungie, wrote back that the chevron door is rare because these doors are only found in southeastern Pennsylvania, and they were only utilized in 18th-century buildings. Huber noted a few examples of these doors, including one at Fort Zeller in Lebanon County, one at the Keim homestead near Oley Valley, and one at the Moravian Gemeinhaus in Bethlehem. He noted that a few others are in existence as well.

During a tour of the barn in late August 2020, Ziegler stated that he knew the house that accompanied the barn was built in 1766, but he was not sure that the barn was built the same year. "I have never seen (a barn) where you step up into the granary," he said. "(Farmers) would bring grain in here and store it up (at a higher level) to dry, and then they would bring it down here to thresh it," added Ziegler, who noted that the barn was of unusual design. "There were basic plans, but everybody adapted," said Ziegler, pointing out logs that were used as beams. "You don't see that in many barns, but this barn was adapted for tobacco."

Visiting the barn brought back memories for Wilbur Horning, vice chairman of the board of trustees of the New Holland Area Historical Society. "As a younger person, I helped to put tobacco away. That was not a fun job," said Horning.

Ziegler said that the stone farmhouse that fronts Route 322 and was once part of the barn property was originally owned by the Wallace family and was at one time a center of community activity. "The historic residence (owned by Robert Wallace) also served as a general store and meeting place for various politically involved friends of (the Wallaces)," he said, adding that during their ownership, the area was referred to as Wallacetown. In 1833, the town west of the home became Blue Ball. "William Wallace (Robert's son) served as (Abraham) Lincoln's personal physician," said Ziegler. "William was raised in this house." The property remained in the Wallace family for 200 years.

Readers who wish to know more about the historical society may visit http://nhhistorical.com or search for "New Holland Area Historical Society" on Facebook.