House w15/16
by Beth Buxbaum
A centuries old farmhouse was quite a departure for Pete and Karen Cozzi. Pete and Karen were living in an English Tudor in Warminster, and they weren't necessarily looking for an old farmhouse or any land. Truth be told, they were both ready for a change. After living in the Tudor for 40 years ,Pete admits there are things he would like to do in his retirement. As a former furniture designer, Pete still enjoys building and fixing things and wanted a space for a workshop. In their former lives, Karen worked for a pharmaceutical firm and Pete, aside from being a furniture designer, was a musician. In the 1960s he was the drummer and vocalist with a four-piece band. They travelled all around the country, and he lived in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe for a time. “I worked with a lot of doo-wop groups, recorded with Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell,” he adds, “and played with a well known saxophonist, George Young, and appeared with his band on Ed Sullivan.” A colorful past made Pete an adventurer.
To satisfy this urge to change, Pete and Karen retired in 2006 and bought a motor home to do some travelling, mostly south to Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia Beach. But having the time to travel was not enough. Pete and Karen were looking for a lifestyle where they could do other things they enjoy, like tinkering, building and gardening. Another factor that prompted their decision to move was the fact that the 37-foot motor home needed a place to perch. “It sat in our driveway, barely fitting on the side of the house,” exclaims Karen, “but we couldn't open it up!”
Without a definitive idea of what they were looking for, the Cozzis started their home search. They preferred a ranch or one-floor living and Pete wanted space to set up a workshop. “We searched for over a year,” Pete adds, “and then we saw this listing and the price just went down. So we decided to take a look.” The property had so much to offer. Aside from the almost two acres, and the charm of the farmhouse, they were pleased with several of the other outbuildings, including a huge bank barn and a carriage house/garage. "The house was structurally sound, but just needed a little attention," describes Karen, "including a good cleaning inside and out." The former owner did a lot of work on the house and it was well maintained. Pete and Karen could envision the property's potential and how they could use all of its amenities to satisfy their new, time-on-their-hands lifestyle.
The two acres that this farmhouse sits on were once a part of the 1000 acres William Penn granted to John Shires in 1682. In fact several notable Bucks County family names are connected with this homestead, according to several historical accounts. The ancestors of the Flowers family and the Mahan family both had roots in this neighborhood and it is believed that James Palmer Flowers' great-great grandfather was Zepheniah Mahan, who lived in this farmhouse.
To finish reading about the Cozzis and their adventure, turn to page 58 in the Winter 15/16 issue of Bucks County Magazine.