Towamensing couple’s restoration efforts recognized

The Towamensing Historical Commission awarded two residents for their efforts in restoring a century-and-a-half-old property.

Carol and William Eckert bought their old bank barn and red and white farmhouse on Hickory Road in Palmerton in 2000. But back then, the two structures, which are around 140 and 119 years old, respectively, were not as charming as they are today.

In fact, William said the interior of the home had to be gutted, and its basement used to have a dirt floor. Outside, the barn’s boards had eroded. “You could see right through the walls just about,” he remembered.

Renovations ended with coats of red and white paint, matching the Eckerts’ vision of a perfect farmhouse.

“That’s the way we thought a farm should look like,” William said.

The Eckerts’ labor earned them the township’s annual preservation award, which Karl Rolappe, chair of the historical commission, presented to the couple last Thursday during a township supervisors meeting.

Of the award, William said it was a welcome surprise; he wasn’t aware the award existed until it was offered.

“A lot of people told us how good they think it looks, and we really appreciate that,” he said.

William noted that there is one more thing he’d like to accomplish: He wants to get the property, which spans 94 acres, classified under the state’s farmland preservation program.