Nutting Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nutting Hall
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Nutting Hall in 2009
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 205 S. Tulpehocken St., Pine Grove, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1823-1825 |
| Built by | Filbert, Peter |
| NRHP reference No. | 80003627 |
| Added to NRHP | July 23, 1980 |
Nutting Hall is an old, important house in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. It was built a long time ago, between 1823 and 1825. A man named Christian Ley, who had met George Washington when he was a boy, had it built. Peter Filbert, an important person in Pine Grove's early days, was the builder.
Today, Margery Wheeler Mattox owns Nutting Hall. She bought it after it had been turned into apartments. She spent 25 years making it look like it used to. Because of its history, Nutting Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1980. The house still has its original wooden outside walls.
Contents
What Nutting Hall Looks Like
Nutting Hall was built between 1823 and 1825. It is a two-and-a-half-story house. This means it has two full floors and an attic space that can also be used. The house is made of wood and has five sections across its front.
It also has a two-and-a-half-story section that sticks out from the back, shaped like an "L" or "ell." The roof is a gable roof, which means it has two sloping sides that meet at a ridge. The house is about 40 feet wide and 60 feet long. It sits on a strong stone foundation at 205 South Tulpehocken Street in Pine Grove.
The History of Nutting Hall
Nutting Hall is a historic house that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Its story is connected to German families who came to America a long time ago. It's also linked to George Washington, who was the first President of the United States.
The Ley Family Connection
The story begins with Christopher Ley (1695-1745). He came to America from a region in Germany called the German Palatinate in 1732. He and his wife, Barbara, started their family in what is now Myerstown, Pennsylvania.
One of their nine children was Michael Ley (1739-1824). Michael built a historic house called Tulpehocken Manor Plantation in Myerstown. George Washington actually stayed at this house three times between 1777 and 1794.
Michael Ley's son was Christian Ley (1762-1831). Christian Ley is the person who had Nutting Hall built. He was also a politician, serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1799 to 1802. Then he served in the Pennsylvania Senate for one year.
When George Washington made his last visit to Tulpehocken Manor, Christian Ley was 32 years old. He was representing Lebanon and Dauphin Counties in the Pennsylvania House at that time. Later, he moved to Pine Grove in Schuylkill County. He became a very important businessman there, buying and selling land.
During this time, Christian Ley hired Peter Filbert to build a new home. This home was for his wife, Anna Catherine Koppenhoffer (1769-1822), and their three children: Christian Jr., John, and Catherine.
Later Owners of the House
Peter Filbert finished building the house between 1823 and 1825. Christian Ley and his family lived there until Christian passed away in 1831. In 1837, the house was sold to William Graeff. He was a tanner, which means he prepared animal hides. He also owned a large general store in Pine Grove.
After William Graeff died in 1873, his daughter, Barbara Ann, inherited the house. Barbara Ann had married James L. Nutting (1818-1880). He owned a large farm nearby and was a teacher and school director in Pine Grove. Barbara Ann and James Nutting had three children, but only one, Anne, lived to be an adult.
Anne Nutting then married Richard Wigton. After her father died in 1880, Anne inherited the historic home. She and her husband had three children: Jeanette (born in 1882), Kathryn, and Richard (born in 1883). Their son, Richard, became the next owner of the house. He owned it until he died in 1952.
After Richard's death, the house was sold to Reuben and Anne Riggen. This was the first time the house left the Ley and Nutting families. The Riggens owned it for ten years. Then, in 1963, they sold it to Glenn Schell. He changed parts of the house into separate apartments.
Restoring Nutting Hall
The original plaster inside Nutting Hall used to show the date it was built (1825) and the name of its builder, Peter Filbert. This was visible until Glenn Schell changed the house into apartments in 1963.
In 1974, Margery Wheeler Mattox bought Nutting Hall from Glenn Schell. She started a big project to restore the house, which took 25 years. Margery grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. She remembered visiting relatives in Pine Grove as a child and watching Decoration Day parades from across the street from Nutting Hall. She had also restored other old homes before.
After all the restoration work, Nutting Hall was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1980.
In 1997, Margery's brother, Richard "Dick" Wheeler, came to live with her at Nutting Hall. Dick Wheeler was a veteran of World War II. He became a military historian and wrote 17 books, including The Bloody Battle for Suribachi. Because of his knowledge, movie and TV writers often asked him for advice about the Battle of Iwo Jima. He helped with movies like Flags of Our Fathers. Dick Wheeler lived at Nutting Hall until he passed away in 2008.
In 2011, Margery Wheeler Mattox published her own book, A Lifetime of Illusions.
