Preserving Land and History
The smell of old wood filled the air as Stephanie and I joined the Waltons in the old schoolhouse. Small desks lined the room, and old books filled numerous shelves.
Mr. Walton is a Lancaster County farmer in Conestoga. He and his wife enjoy tending to their plants and animals like any farm family, but the old schoolhouse makes this property incredibly unique.
The Waltons are experts in the property’s history. Mr. Walton’s grandfather bought their farm in 1921, and the property has been in the family ever since. Mr. Walton and his parents were raised on the farm, selling and delivering produce in Lancaster City. “We would pick in the morning and deliver in the afternoon,” Mr. Walton explained. “We would peddle into the city. People would gather with pans and baskets, and we’d fill them with strawberries, raspberries, and whatever else we were growing.” Along with produce, the Waltons made a living making and selling butter. “I still have my grandmother’s churn,” says Mr. Walton, showing us photographs.
Neighbors and other locals would gather at the Walton’s farmhouse on butter-selling days to stock up for the coming weeks.
However, when World War 2 began, Mr. Walton’s father left to join the fight. “My grandparents would write letters to him every day. I still have many of those letters. I never met my grandmother, so reading them was my way of getting to know her and getting closer to her,” says Mr. Walton. “Will try and write some this afternoon as it is so terribly hot and my glasses get all steamed up that I can hardly see…It must not be far from 100; you hardly see a leaf move. It sure is drying up the things…Well, this is Friday morning, I must go to work.”
The letter from Lizzie Graver Walton to John Walton was drafted in WWII. While the Waltons did not own the farm until the 1900s, the oldest structures on the property date back to the 1870s. When Mr. Walton was a kid, the family-owned horses, cows, pigs, and more. Now, their farm is home to horses, a duck, and numerous cats. The couple grows tomatoes, hundreds of flowers, and more.
Down the street from the farm property is their 1850 one-room schoolhouse. Four generations of the Walton family attended school there, and Mr. Walton’s mother taught there for many years. It’s one of the oldest unaltered schoolhouses in the country.
After years of attendance and work there, the Walton family purchased the schoolhouse in 1954. Mr. Walton’s grandfather converted the school into a hardware store as another means of profit for the family.
Today, Mr. Walton and his wife have returned the building to its original schoolhouse format, preserving its history and sharing their knowledge with fellow Lancastrians. As Stephanie and I stood among the tiny desks and old textbooks, Mr. Walton showed us some of the children’s old autograph books to peruse. Inside were wishes of happy summers, good harvests, and silly jokes.
“Children are always just that: children,” says Mr. Walton, “and little pieces of history like this remind us of that.”
Now, Mr. Walton and his wife spend their time caring for the farm and schoolhouse and writing literature about their heritage. Mr. Walton is currently working on republishing his family’s cookbook, complete with family history, recipes, and tips! Want a sneak peek? Check out the recipe below to get started!
The longer we stayed on the farm, the clearer it became: the Waltons are proud of their farming heritage in Lancaster County. When we protect farmland, we’re protecting more than just land. We’re protecting history and a unique way of life in Lancaster County.
We’re proud to have farmers like the Waltons dedicated to the preservation of both farmland and local history. Connect with us on social media to learn more about the Waltons’ farm and schoolhouse! To learn more about our work in preservation, click here.
Classic Sand Tart Recipe
Recipe by Minnie Graver, recipe submitted by Jay Graver
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix the sugar, butter, and egg until creamy. Add vanilla, salt, and baking powder and mix. Then add flour. Roll out and cut with cutters. Brush with egg (whole, beaten). Sprinkle with sugar cinnamon and crushed peanuts. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned on greased cookie sheets.
