Farmhouse Friday: Roadside Rest in Riegelsville

This 1840s Bucks County farmhouse retains all of its original charm while accommodating modern desires.

6014 Route 412, Riegelsville, Pa., 18077 | TREND Images via Addison Wolfe Real Estate

6014 Route 412, Riegelsville, Pa., 18077 | TREND Images via Addison Wolfe Real Estate

You’ve seen classic Pennsylvania farmhouses like this one before: they’re almost kissing the road they’re situated on, either because they were plunked alongside it back when they were built or the road’s been widened since then.

This early 1840s Bucks County farmhouse known as Springfield Cottage looks like one of the former, for it appears that Route 412 retains its original dimensions. One sometimes wonders how a family might live in such a place. A look inside and behind this one reveals the answer.

It’s hard to resist the authentic 19th-century charm that pervades this well-kept residence. Random width pumpkin pine floors, exposed-beam all-wood ceilings and period features and amenities give this home a special grace. Yet it’s kept up with the times through a series of additions and improvements that make it adaptable to today’s lifestyles.

The most notable period feature is the “keeping room,” the farmhouse’s original kitchen extension. Its original function is made clear by the enormous cooking-hearth fireplace, which retains its original brick oven but has since been equipped with a wood-burning stove.

The living room also has a traditional fireplace with a handsome wood mantle as well as built-in breakfront shelving; it’s completely open to the adjacent dining room, where a large wooden cabinet is the dominant architectural feature.

Between the dining and keeping rooms is a galley kitchen with farmhouse-style cabinetry and up-to-date appliances that extends all the way to the bright sun room at the back. Part of the farmhouse’s second addition, this sun room is the locus for family relaxation away from the road’s edge and adjacent to its spacious back yard.

Also part of this addition which wraps around the keeping room is the master bedroom, a full bath and a second bedroom that could also serve as a home office.

Upstairs are two more bedrooms and a full hall bath.

Out back is a large modern deck that overlooks the bulk of this home’s 1.5-acre lot. Currently partially landscaped, this lot could serve a variety of purposes. It’s big enough to support a pool, a play area and a flower or vegetable garden.

Or you could just leave it as it is and enjoy the scenery as you forget that a state highway brushes past your front door.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 4

BATHS: 2

SQUARE FEET: 2,574

SALE PRICE: $265,000

OTHER STUFF: This home’s price was reduced by $10,000 on Sept. 17. There’s also a newly built freestanding two-car garage in the back.

6014 Route 412, Riegelsville, Pa., 18077 [Art Mazzei | Addison Wolfe Real Estate]