Kissling Farm

The Kissling Farm is a historic farm complex and national historic district located in Robesonia, Heidelberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.[2][3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.[1][4][5]

Kissling Farm
LocationBrownsville Road east of Robesonia, Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°22′03″N 76°06′05″W
Area220 acres (89 ha)
Built1793, 1798, c. 1805, 1890
Architectural styleFederal, Pennsylvania bank barn
MPSFarms in Berks County MPS
NRHP reference No.92000934[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 29, 1992

History

During the late 18th century, this farm was owned by Peter Kule and his wife, Margretha, who sold the farm to Jacob Klobb (alternate spelling "Klopp") on April 6, 1786. When Klobb/Klopp died intestate on August 7, 1787, the property's two land tracts and distillery were sold by the local Orphans' Court to his sons, John, Jacob and Peter Klobb/Klopp. The property and its buildings were then resold in 1815 to John Bechtle, who was forced by financial circumstances to sell the property during a Sheriff's sale in 1824. Purchased by Jacob and Daniel Bechtle at that time, they sold their shares to John Kalbach, respectively, in 1831 and 1839. Kalbach then sold the property to his son, John, in 1843. Following his death two years later, the property was transferred to Joseph Kalbach, who then sold it to Benjamin Lamm in 1846. After working the land for more than two decades, Lamm died in 1869; the farm was then purchased by Amandon Kissling for $13,000. The farm then remained in the Kissling family's hands between that time and the time that the property was nominated for placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[6][7]

Placement on the National Register of Historic Places

The nomination form to place this property on the National Register of Historic Places was completed by Mary Ellen Lash, a consultant with the Berks County Conservancy in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania in June 1991. This property and its buildings were then officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.[1][8][9]

Architectural features

The Kissling Farm complex has seven contributing buildings, one contributing site, and three contributing structures. They are a 2 1/2-story, five bay, vernacular Federal stone farmhouse with kitchen ell addition (1798, c. 1805); frame Pennsylvania bank barn on a limestone foundation (1890); 1 1/2-story stone cabin (1793); four stone and frame outbuildings; and three structures.[7]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Kissling Farm, in "Find a Park: Pennsylvania: List View." Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Park Service, retrieved online September 25, 2019.
  3. "Greenway Plan: Section 3.6: Tulpehocken Region," p. 192. Berks County, Pennsylvania: Berks County Planning Commission, retrieved online September 25, 2019.
  4. "10 Berks County farms put on National Register." Allentown, Pennsylvania: Morning Call, August 14, 1992.
  5. "Listings in a thematic nomination of Berks County farms," in "Bureau for Historic Preservation: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission: State News," in Preserving Pennsylvania, Vol. 6, No. 4, 1993, p. 4. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online September 25, 2019.
  6. "Engagement Announcement" (Anna Bear; mentions Kissling Farm and the Kissling family). Reading, Pennsylvania: Reading Times, July 10, 1924, p. 9 (subscription required).
  7. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Mary Ellen Lash (June 1991). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Kissling Farm" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  8. "10 Berks County farms put on National Register," Morning Call.
  9. "Listings in a thematic nomination of Berks County farms," in "Bureau for Historic Preservation: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission: State News," in Preserving Pennsylvania, Vol. 6, No. 4, 1993, p. 4.
  • Kissling Farm (abridged profile). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Athenaeum, retrieved online September 25, 2019.
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