by Patti Guthrie
If you like the idea of staying in an 18th century stone farmhouse, a registered Bucks County historical landmark, filled with American country antiques, the Bucksville House Bed & Breakfast near Kintnersville is the place. In the 28 years they’ve owned it, innkeepers Barb and Joe Szollosi have accumulated impressive collections of antiques that are tastefully displayed throughout the three-story dwelling. Yet, there’s virtually no clutter—an amazing accomplishment considering the sheer number of objects they’ve collected over the decades. Barb said simply, “We have lots of collections. But, I don’t like clutter.”
As with many early houses, the building sits close to the road, here Route 412. However, when you turn off Durham Road to enter the property, you’re struck by the neatly manicured lawn and several gardens on the four-plus acres spread out before you. Joe added the clean, well-lit entrance room about 20 years ago, while the original part of the house, built in 1795, now serves as the breakfast room with its working walk-in fireplace and Mercer tile floor. Antique utilitarian splint baskets, “Probably between a hundred twenty and a hundred thirty,” said Barb, hang from the heavy wood beams. “Around 1830, the front part of the house was built. Originally, it was called the White Horse Tavern. The name was changed to the Bucksville Hotel, named for Nicholas Buck. In fact, this area was known as Bucksville.”
The large living room has a working fireplace, and as with most of the rest of the house, is furnished and accessorized with American country antiques—blanket and dower chests in original paint and decoration, one-drawer stands in pretty woods like cherry or walnut, larger tables, cupboards in paint and chairs. She points to a “ciphering book” sitting open on one of the tables, saying, “This belonged to my great-grandfather whose name was Beck.”
Too find out more about The Bucksville House, go page 94 of the Winter 2012/13 issue of Bucks County Magazine.