Dean's Old House


	*Dean’s Old House*


		Folk Victorian Just plain folk could afford these charming North American homes, built between 1870 and 1910. Life was simple before the age of railroads. In the vast, remote stretches of North America, families built no-fuss, square or L-shaped houses in the National or Folk style. But when train whistles began to shrill across the prairies, farmers got fancy notions. They built Folk Victorians. Industrialization and the growth of railroads meant that decorative architectural trim could be mass produced and sent to remote corners of the continent. Also, smaller towns could now obtain sophisticated woodworking machinery. A crate of scrolled brackets might find its way to Kansas or Wyoming, where carpenters could mix and match the pieces according to personal whim... Or, according to what happened to be in the latest shipment.

	Sunbury dates back to 1772 and was named for an English Village near London, England. Because of its strategic point along the Susquehanna, Sunbury became the site of one of the most important frontier forts in Pennsylvania, Fort Augusta. Ft. Augusta was a reliable stronghold during the days of the French and Indian War. It also played a major role in the Revolutionary War where it served as the military headquarters for the American Forces in the Upper Susquehanna Valley. But it wasn't until the Wizard of Menlo Park came to town, that Sunbury truly became a historic site. Sunbury became internationally famous when in 1883 Thomas Edison demonstrated his invention, the electric light, by wiring the city hotel. The hotel, which was the first building to use Edison's three wire system, changed the world and was renamed "The Edison Hotel" to honor the inventor. Sunbury has a rich and wonderful history, which is worth seeing in person. Although our city has grown and changed over the years, we have endeavored to keep our historical treasures untouched and alive. Our sense of the value of these sites is one more reason to visit or live in Sunbury. If you’re tired of “big city” living, consider this... the biggest traffic jam you’ll encounter in Sunbury is after the high school’s football game!


		I purchased this home in April 2005 with the intention of restoring it to the splendor of it’s birth in Victorian America. It is located on Market St. in Sunbury, PA.

	Folk Victorian houses usually have these features: Square, symmetrical shape Brackets under the eaves Porches with spindlework or flat, jigsaw cut trim