JACOB KEIM HOMESTEAD (1753):
Family History:
The Keim’s are descendant from Johannes Keim who
came from Lindau, Bavaria around 1698. Keim was born
in Speier, Germany in 1675. Keim left Germany after
the French invasion of the Palatinate (1688-1697) which
ruined him. Johannes immigrated through the port of
Philadelphia. After staking out his claim in the Oley
Valley, Johannes returned to Germany where he married
his first wife in 1706, Katarina. Johannes had sixteen
children by two wives, but only nine of the children
survived childhood. He was the first settler to stake
out a claim in the Oley Valley. The Keims were among
the Huguenot and Palatine refugees who fled to America
from Europe. During the 1740s, Johannes Keim was active
in petitioning for the creation of roads. Johannes died
in 1758 and is presumably buried with other family members
in a plot on the property. The family cemetery is located
across the street from the house in the middle of what
is currently a farm field.
Jacob Keim was the youngest son of Johannes’
first wife. Jacob, who was born in 1724, was married
to a Magdelena Hoch. In 1767, Jacob Keim was listed
as a turner, owned 126 acres, 2 horses, 3 cattle, and
was taxed 9 Pounds. When Jacob died in 1799, Magdalena
(Jacob’s wife) received the right to remain in
a room of the house and some other things, but the homestead
was inherited by son John.
Social History:
The fact that Jacob Keim ran a turner’s shop at
this location means that there had to be an economic
connection to the surrounding area. A turner was a craftsman
that used a lathe powered by a large manually driven
wheel to shape chair and table legs, balusters, and
other woodwork. However, for the majority of the site’s
history, it was a family farm.
Architectural History:
In 1706, Johannes Keim returned to Pennsylvania and
settled on this land where he first lived in a log structure
which was built in 1708. In 1753, a team of workers
from outside the valley built the house that is at the
property today.
Located in Pike Township, the two stone structures on
this site are excellent examples of 18th century German-influenced
architecture. The larger house was built for Jacob and
Magdalena Keim about 1753 and was inhabited by their
descendants until 1911. It is a two and a half story
limestone structure. The building originally had a red
clay tile roof but currently is covered by a standing
metal seam roof. The walk-in fireplaces and much of
the woodwork and hardware are intact. The foundation
and walls are made of native limestone. It is a stove-room
house with facades that have a balanced look and interiors
illuminated by many windows. A stove-room house has
a three room first floor plan that includes a kitchen
on one side of a centrally located fireplace and a “stove”
room or family space and a bedroom on the opposite side
of this fireplace. The central stone chimney is capped
by a brick section which protrudes the roof line. The
original house block has segmented arches over all exterior
openings.
At some point, as the family grew larger, the northern
block was added. There is no interior access to the
addition except through the attic. There is Federal
style trim in the addition. The porches were probably
added in the nineteenth century. On the south side façade,
a second floor door originally opened onto a balcony
which interrupted the pent roof line. The balcony on
longer exists. The finish work is for the most part
original in the house.
Located adjacent to the main house is a rubble stone
outbuilding, or ancillary house. This structure dates
to circa 1753 and is Germanic in character as well.
Apparently, this one and a half story structure was
used as Keim’s turner’s shop. The building
has a vaulted root cellar for the storage of perishable
vegetables and is built into a bank. Also, there is
a spring flowing through the cellar. Part of the basement
was whitewashed and used for dairying. This structure
is very similar to Pennsylvania German bank barns with
a working basement and a vertical link between the floors.
The window and door openings have segmented arches which
are similar to those on the main house. There is evidence
that there originally was a partition wall that separated
the kitchen from the turner’s shop on the main
floor. Also, there is an aperture for a jamb stove in
the kitchen. The chimney is centrally located, and the
roof is covered with tiles laid on lathe boards.
There is a great deal of evidence in the ancillary
house showing aspects of its use as a turner’s
shop by Keim. Remnants of stanchions for the pole lathe
are attached to the ceiling and there are racks for
chair parts. There is a depression in the floor where
the foot treadle for the lathe abraded it. To the left
of the lathe was a large iron door that opened into
the flue of the fireplace below; workers could open
the door and sweep shavings into this fireplace. Originally,
there was an enclosed chamber adjoining the chimney
stack used as a drying kiln for the turner’s wood
(this was previously thought to be a smoke chamber).
The large window in the gable end was for back-lighting
the lathe, which is helpful when turning wood. The big
window around the corner would have provided more light
to the work area. By 1958, the structure was vacant
and used as a storage space.
In the late 1970s, the Hartman cider press was moved
from the farm of Elam Fox near Pricetown. It was placed
on the foundation of a former pig stable which was torn
down. A cider mill was used for pressing the juice from
crushed or broken apples. The press itself was joined
with much chamfering and some ornament. It is still
in working order. The mill was dedicated at its new
location on May 21, 1975. The Hartman Cider Press was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places on
January 1, 1988.
The property also contains a small stone barn. The
barn housed livestock in the basement level and the
area above was used for storage. Also located on the
property is a small root cellar which dates to around
1750. It is stone vaulted and covered with sod; the
structure reflects the property’s Germanic influence.
None of the buildings on the property have any modern
amenities whatsoever.
Property History:
Johannes Keim’s son, Jacob Keim married Magdalena
Hoch whose father conveyed this land to the couple in
1753. Jacob would eventually add thirty acres to the
family farm. By 1775, Jacob had 197 acres and two homesteads.
It is possible that the “two” homesteads
refers to the main house and the ancillary house.
The 1854 Berks County Atlas shows a J. Keim as the
resident of the home and the 1862 Berks County Atlas
shows a Jacob Keim as the owner. By the late nineteenth
century, the property contained 320 acres mostly in
Pike Township. As late as 1913, there were 100 acres
of virgin forest on the property. At some point, one
of the wills that originated at the Keim property stated
that the walnut trees were never to be cut down. If
they were, the property was to be sold. The property
remained in the Keim family until 1911 when the last
Keim descendant departed.
Mahlon Boyer purchased the farm in 1913, erected a
modern sawmill, and cut down the wooded acres. By 1955,
the property was owned by a Charles Boyer and used as
a rental property. The Keim property was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 1974.
In 1978, the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County
acquired the farmstead as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. M.
Richard Boyer.
The Keim Farmstead is open every day by advance appointment
only. Please contact the Trust office at least 14 days
in advance of your trip to make an appointment. Whenever
possible, please supply 2 alternate appointment dates.
The Keim Farmstead is located on Boyer Road in Pike
Township, Berks County, PA.
From Rt. 12 (Pricetown Road), take Rt. 73 East to Bertolet
Mill Road. Turn left on Bertolet Mill Road. Proceed
to intersection at Hoch Road. Turn left onto Hoch Road.
Proceed to Boyer Road. Turn right onto Boyer Road and
proceed approximately 500 yards. Keim Farmstead is on
the right-hand side of the road.
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