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by Beth S. Buxbaum
Spring Meadow Farm and Estate, snuggled in the rolling hills of Buckingham, is surrounded by meadows and towering trees. The centuries-old springhouse, a stone farmhouse, bank barn and its history and countenance present the essence of an historic Bucks County farm. That could be what drew Patty Patterson to the property six years ago.
Patty grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. As a young adult she left Ohio to attend business school in Colorado. While living in Colorado Patty owned a farmhouse, on 56 acres, where she had thoroughbreds and show horses. “I’m basically country,” she states, “and I became passionate about raising and training horses,” she adds. After getting married, she moved to California where she raised her two daughters. Here she established a West Coast lifestyle that suited her passions. So why, many years later, was she longing for the East Coast?
She says, “I desperately missed the seasons, especially the snow.” Along with a desire to experience the seasons, Patty also dreamt of owning an old stone farmhouse. These motivating factors were the impetus for her journey back to the East Coast.
Holding fast to her dream, Patty was on a mission to find the perfect spot for her horses and dogs and the right farmhouse for her new residence. “I worked with a realtor and went through an exhaustive search, looking at 17 farms in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania,” she explains. Nothing she saw really satisfied all of her requirements. Her last stop was Bucks County. “My realtor began showing me properties and then this one came up in Buckingham,” she continues. Originally part of a property that totaled 90 acres, the farmhouse was built in 1790. More recently known as Spring Meadow Farm and Estate, the property sits on almost 19 acres and is comprised of a renovated bank barn, a stone and stucco farmhouse, springhouse, pond, and a carriage house.
“As we drove up the long, meandering drive, I was taken by the canopy of dogwood, maple and spruce trees,” Patty says. Patty was amazed at the size of the property. “I could not believe what I was seeing. I was gazing at a lawn as far as you can see and thought that this is a perfect place for my animals. As we approached the residence this place unfolded with ponds, a pool, cascading terraces, and patio. I had goose bumps as I said to my realtor that I think we found it, before even going inside the farmhouse.”
Patty made an offer and waited. “I would lie in bed at night and furnish every room,” she shares. After some negotiations she closed on the property in May of 2015. With one daughter living in California and the other living in England, everyone came to Bucks County to see the new homestead and celebrate. Patty envisioned this as a perfect meeting point for all her family and friends to come visit. “It was my dream to buy a farm in Bucks County,” she reveals.
Once the reality set in, that she now owned a charming old stone farmhouse and an expansive property in Bucks County, she put things into motion. “A lot of the furniture I wanted in this new home, I shipped from California over several weeks.” There were the two horses that she had to find a place to board until the property was prepared for the horses. Some repairs were needed to the two-stall barn, and she began a project of adding to the split-rail fencing around the entire property, which took more than a year to complete. The property was ready. Spring Meadow Farm became her new home.
As the most recent keeper of this historic property, Patty slowly learned about the homestead and its interesting past. In a series of documents Patty researched, she found that from 1740 until 1811 three of the Beans brothers owned a large section of this area of Buckingham, part of which was this homestead. All parcels were handed down from generation to generation, and the Spring Meadow farm parcel was purchased from Jacob Beans by William Beans on July 30, 1755 and it became part of the family homestead. Additional records show that David Beans advertised this property for sale in October of 1809, containing “160 acres with cultivated land, with a two-story stone house, 49 feet in length, elegantly situated and handsomely shaded with poplars, weeping willow and a well of good water, a convenient barn, a one-story stone and log house, a new barn and a stream.” Other documents, prepared by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Office of Historic Preservation, describe the property named as Wonderland, with a main house and associated buildings, including the main house, barn, well, spring house, carriage shed and walled pond. Dates corresponding to the main house construction show that section one was built in the mid 1800s, section two in the late 1800s, section three in the early 1900s and section four in the early 1920s.
The former owner lived here for about 30 years. Patty believes this owner named the property Spring Meadow Farm. Her sense is that he named the homestead for its topography. “There is a spring house and many meadows and the former owner made the sign that hangs on a post at the entrance gate,” Patty explains. Once moved in, Patty began to learn more about the homestead’s history. An interesting early memory was shared with Patty. Almost 60 years ago this was the home of Alice Pearlman. She lived in the main house and for years operated a summer camp here, called Camp Wonderland, Alice’s wonderland. Information about Alice and the camp was available during a conversation with Cathy Snyder. Alice was a great aunt to Cathy Snyder and her sister, Lynn, and they attended Camp Wonderland during their early childhood.
“It was our childhood,” Cathy says, “and my sister and all of our cousins enjoyed it for many years.” This sprawling camp, on 90 acres, had cabins, a mess hall, several ponds, horses and barns. Cathy describes how Alice, who was a dressmaker by trade, travelled into Philadelphia to gather able-bodied men; many of them homeless, to help her build the cabins, develop the land and create her vision for Camp Wonderland. Cathy, who attended the camp from age four until she was ten, has fond memories of her time at the camp and the main house, where her great aunt lived. “I remember as campers we used to go into New Hope and take a ride on the mule barge,” she says. Her favorite room in the main house was the massive library with a floor-to-ceiling fireplace where we used to cook meals. “I loved the view from the terraced landscaped down to the well house surrounded by daffodils,” she adds, “Camp Wonderland was a magical place.” Cathy explains that the property fell into disrepair and Alice leased it to the state. The state used it as a retreat for patients from Bellevue. “It was a way for her to hold on to the property until she sold it to a developer in 1980,” Cathy adds, “with the agreement that it remained as beautiful estate land.” The property was parceled out, leaving almost 19 acres with the main house and the outbuildings. Spring Meadow Farm sits on that acreage today.
With its many residents and uses, this parcel of land has been an essential part of the area history for centuries. Now in the hands of its newest owner, the land and buildings will have a new stewardship and function. As she settled in to her new home, Patty had a few projects underway. In addition to adding to the existing split rail fencing, she mounted expansive landscaping upgrades. She also had to prepare the two-stall barn for her horses, Patty added water and electricity, put in lantern lights and lamp posts. She hired a contractor to remove the stucco and expose the original stone façade. Patty states that the structure and interior of the farmhouse were in great condition. She said that there was not much to do except repaint many of the rooms to suit her taste and décor style.
Exuding a sophisticated, rustic beauty, the main house overflows with earth tones from natural materials like terra cotta tiled floors, custom designed paneled walls, stone walls and seven fireplaces capturing the history and ambiance of a centuries-old farmhouse. The original sections have a traditional floor plan with a formal living and dining room on each side of the center entry hall. Later additions, like the family room and sunroom, were designed to take advantage of the views and indoor-outdoor flow. Working with the shades, textures and architectural elements of the farmhouse, Patty decorated the home with some antiques, a few new pieces and furniture she brought from her Laguna Beach house. She artfully embellished each room with her favorite furniture pieces, pops of color, collection of area rugs and artwork.
Patty loves art. She is involved with the Phillips Mill Foundation for The Arts. “We are striving to preserve and restore the cottage homes of the original early Pennsylvania Impressionists for artists and the public to enjoy forever,” she explains. Patty has been collecting local artists and has actually had the opportunity to meet a few. “I met Christopher Willett and he shared many wonderful stories of the early Bucks County painters and also introduced me to Joseph Barrett,” Patty adds. Many of the pieces accenting the walls of the house represent her local artist collection of landscapes.
The landscape of this property offers a variety of venues to enjoy the homestead, especially the refurbished centuries old bank barn. The scope and size of this structure offers plenty of space for a multitude of uses. The former owner was a car buff and had an extensive collection of cars housed in the lower level of the barn. Also on the lower level is a wood-making shop the former owner designed to work on his custom wood projects. Patty has repurposed the massive main section of the renovated barn to host parties, dances, and even weddings. In a rustic chic décor, the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, knotty pine walls, floor and wood beams are illuminated by an elegant crystal chandelier over a cozy and inviting seating area by the fireplace. Additional outbuildings include two stone-walled ponds, carriage guest house, pool, tennis court, garage, stables and paddocks. Spring Meadow Farm has allowed Patty, along with her family, friends and animals, to appreciate the homestead’s pastoral beauty, vast acreage and the many places to gather.
Surrounded by this magical landscape, Patty is living the life she only dreamed of for years—a dream that would not have been possible without the assistance of her realtor and dear friend, Kim Woehr Kates, who recently passed. “Without her expertise and knowledge Spring Meadow Farm would only have been a dream!”
Finding herself in this wonderland has been a dream come true. Life is full of change and life’s circumstances have a way of sometimes imposing a change in course. So, now Patty has decided to put Springhouse Meadow Farm on the market.
Beth S. Buxbaum is a freelance writer from the Philadelphia area.