Morgan Log House in the 18th Century.
Morgan Log House and Historical Center on Weikel Road had its last log put up sometime between 1770 and 1774 by German Schwenkfelder John Yaekel
Get ready to party like it’s 1774.
The oldest house in Towamencin is preparing for its 250th Housewarming this month and the public is invited to the celebration.
Morgan Log House and Historical Center on Weikel Road had its last log put up sometime between 1770 and 1774 by German Schwenkfelder John Yaekel, according to the society, and invites the public to celebrate its long history on June 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event, sponsored by Bergey’s Electric in Hatfield, is free. However, per tradition of a regular housewarming party, Morgan Log House Executive Director Molly Jobson is asking attendees to bring a non-perishable food item for Manna on Main Street’s pantry.
Morgan Log House today.“To tour the house and find out more about housewarming traditions from the world and the restoration of Morgan Log House, we ask visitors to bring a nonperishable food item,” she said. “The day will be filled with outdoor fun! We can't wait to see and celebrate with you.”
Visitors to the party can expect live music, a food truck, modern and Colonial-era games, housewarming customs from different cultures, and education on the construction of the two-and-a-half-story white oak log and stone house, the Morgan family’s settlement of the land, and the enduring legacy it holds today.
"Morgan Log House has been an important piece of Towamencin Township history. Even after 250 years, there are still mysteries about those who lived here,” Jobson said. “As a way to celebrate the incredible legacy of Morgan Log House, we decided to host a community housewarming day.”
In February 1702, the Commissioners of William Penn granted merchant Griffith Jones 600 acres of land in Towamencin. Six years later, Welsh immigrant Edward Morgan purchased 309 of the 600 acres of land, including the “dwelling house.”
According to its website, the Morgans were the first ones to live on the property and the earliest Welsh settlers in the Towamencin area. Prior to buying the land, Morgan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1698, settled in Gwynedd.
Eventually, his daughter, Sarah, would marry Squire Boone, before moving to Birdsboro, Berks County, where they would have their son, Daniel, the future famous explorer and frontiersman. Descendants of Morgan include author Lowell Thomas, who publicized the life of T.E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, and Walter L. Morgan, the founder of the first mutual fund in the United States.
Morgan would eventually deed the property to his son, John, who then sold it to Evan David in 1741. Then, Yaekel purchased it in 1770 and built the existing log house.
Yakel then sold 82 acres to Mennonite Yellis Cassel four years later. For more than 70 years, the house served as shelter to two clothmaking families and its land was applied to their trade.
Morgan Log House remained part of the Cassel clan for 99 years, then Frederick Bower bought the house and 62 acres in the late 1800s.
By 1965, the property was owned by William Nash, who wanted to subdivide and develop the land. However, the house was condemned two years later, and ironically, recognized as a historic structure too by architect Albert F. Ruthrauff, per the Morgan Log House website.
Historic restoration architect G. Edwin Brumbaugh and the Towamencin Township Supervisors began to see the worth in the historic property. Led by John B. Jacobs, a movement occurred to save the house from demolition, and in 1970, Towamencin Township bought the property. It would land on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
By 1976, per the website, the house was restored and opened to the public.
At present, the two-and-a-half-story white oak log and stone house features a center chimney, a large fireplace, original hardware, a spring room in the basement, an undivided attic, and three rooms each on the first and second floors.
