Old Stone House ownership agreement in process
BRADY TWP — From the time of its founding 200 years ago, the Old Stone House served as an iconic piece of Slippery Rock history. Now, it is closed to the public, but the hope of its reopening remains as management of the structure could change.
Slippery Rock University and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently confirmed that they have reached an agreement that could transfer management and ownership of the Old Stone House to the DCNR’s Jennings Environmental Education Center. The agreement is not yet finalized.
A statement from Justin Zackal, Slippery Rock University’s associate director of university marketing and communication, said once the terms of the agreement, reached last September, are finalized, the transfer will be complete.
According to Zackal, these terms include the processing of the occupancy permit, plans to repair the roof, and the demolition of the two caretaker houses. The demolition of the two structures has already occurred, he said.
“DCNR’s management of the property will help ensure future preservation of the Old Stone House as an attraction and space for programming,” Zackal said.
Wil Taylor, the manager at Jennings, confirmed Thursday, June 27 that the state park still plans to take ownership and administration of the building, but noted that nothing has been finalized.
If the agreement is finalized, Taylor said, he intends to reopen the building to the public.
“We plan to operate it pretty much how it (was) operating,” Taylor said.
He further said they have received requests from the public to host events, and they are eager to do so, but maintenance on the building is needed for it to be safe for the public.
Jennings, located primarily on the other side of Route 8, also owns and operates Foltz School, the historic one-room schoolhouse that is on a property that adjoins the Old Stone House property.
Taylor said Slippery Rock University still owns the property, and is responsible for the maintenance of the Old Stone House before it is transferred.
Information regarding a projected timeline for repairs and when the agreement will be reached was not shared by Taylor or Zackal.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Old Stone House was closed to the public, but shuttered indefinitely in April 2022 when Slippery Rock University announced it would not host events during the summer.
During that time, the university had informal discussions with the Butler County Historical Society about the society taking over management of the property, though that did not happen.
In the wake of its closure, the public expressed its dissatisfaction.
“Every summer that place is closed is keeping a generation of students from entering the history,” Slippery Rock alumni Kevin Lukacs said in May 2022.
More than a year after the 2022 closure, a Facebook page for the Old Stone House signaled a potential future change in operations.
“The Old Stone House remains closed for the time being, but efforts are currently in the works to insure the site’s continued operation in the future,” the Sept. 5 post said. “Further information will be released via local news outlets as soon as it can be made available.”
Despite the closure of the Old Stone House, the volunteer organization Friends of the Old Stone House is still in active status, and many are hopeful these beloved community events will return in the future.
“It’s just a wonderful piece of history,” said Stacie Williams, a member of the Friends of the Old Stone House who joined in 2017. “For me, it’s like a passion. It was something I enjoyed.”
The story of the Old Stone House began in 1822, when it was originally built as a stage coach stop along a route between Erie and Pittsburgh. During the Civil War, it served as a muster point.
As railroads became more widely used in the 1860s and 1870s, the Old Stone House fell out of favor, and was subsequently rented as a family farmstead, according to the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau.
However, by 1918, the structure was abandoned and subsequently fell into disrepair.
In 1963, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy began to restore the Old Stone House, hoping to attract visitors to the northern side of Moraine State Park.
After it was rebuilt, the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission received ownership of the Old Stone House and operated the site until the 1980s. The site was operated as a museum during the 20 years the commission ran the Old Stone House.
That prompted the late state Sen. Tim Shaffer to work with the administration of Slippery Rock University and the commission to discuss the future of the property and reach a lease agreement. After years of a lease agreement, the university took ownership of the historic building in 1999.
Over the years, there was no shortage of events hosted at the Old Stone House. Friends of the Old Stone House assisted in hosting several events and educational programs. These events included the Old Stone House’s annual Christmas Open House, which the Butler Eagle reported on in 2019. The event saw roughly 500 people visit the building.
Other events included opportunities for the public to see butter churning, period dress, and Halloween spooky stories in partnership with Slippery Rock University. One project the volunteer group worked on was a beehive oven. Made entirely out of clay, the oven was used to make baked goods, such as pizza and bread.
