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by Beth S. Bethbaum
In 1690 a simple log cabin was built on what called Egypt Farm in Upper Makefield. The property since then has had a long list of owners and an infamous past. Marge Reeves, owner of the farm in 1970, has supplied much of the history of Egypt Farm and subsequently Duchess Farm III , of which her and her husband Eldrow (nicknamed Dutch) were the 21st owners since Joseph Tomlinson purchased the homestead from the London Land Company on January 14, 1764. As Marge Reeves explains, the original Egypt Farm was named for a Biblical reference. “According to legend, since the early 1700’s, when crop failures occurred due to drought, this farm produced enough seed for farmers in the area to replant their fields. Thus, it became known as Egypt Farm, from the Biblical story when men from all countries went to Joseph in Egypt, to buy corn.”
In addition to the legend, the farm also was connected with a tale about a band of thieves who stole cash from the Newtown Treasury. As Marge Reeves tells the story, “John Tomlinson, who was the owner of Egypt Farm beginning in 1764, joined the notorious gang of outlaws, the Doanes. Tomlinson was hanged for his participation in the robbery and buried on this property. The farm’s legacy continues with a reference to the fact that, according to accounts, the farm is the only one in Bucks County that has remained practically in total through the years, at least until the mid 2000s.
The farm property was bought by Toll Brothers in the mid 2000s, and the farm was subdivided. Aside from the 33 acres that was maintained as the farm, the remaining acreage was developed into homes by Toll Brothers. Janet and Rob Schimek bought one of the new homes in 2008, in what is now called Dutchess Farm Estates. These estates were named after the farm, originally named Egypt Farm, and later called Dutchess Farm by Marge and Dutch Reeves. Aside from the remaining farm and the development, a portion of the surrounding land was preserved, protecting the area from any more development. Farmers remained living on the property, as well as an elderly woman, who was there until she passed in 2012. At this point the farm was on the market and on the Schimek’s radar.
“We have been driving by and admiring this farm since we moved to this development,” Rob adds. Little did they know that this historic homestead would be theirs. Janet explains that Rob was in London, where they were preparing to move for Rob’s job with AIG. One day Janet was driving by the property and saw a for sale sign. “I immediately texted Rob to tell him and he said to put in a bid,” she says. She explains how Rob came home for a weekend to see the property, which included the farmhouse, a barn, a corn crib and a carriage house. They were excited about the prospects. Their bid was accepted and Rob returned to London, leaving Janet to handle the purchase process.
What attracted Janet and Rob to this farm? Both Janet and Rob are from Bucks County. Janet is from Levittown and Rob grew up on a working farm just five miles down the road from Egypt Farm and was familiar with the property. They love country living, especially farms and older homes. Even when Rob worked in the city, they always maintained a home in the countryside. Now they are the owners of this property that they have admired from afar.
This home has seen a lot of change over the years, from its humble beginnings as a log cabin. From Marge Reeve’s accounts, she explains that a local architect named Edwin Brumbaugh, who was a renowned national craftsman specializing in Colonial restorations, oversaw the restoration of the farmhouse when the Reeves purchased it in 1974. As he worked on the house he noted several interesting historical facts. The original fireplace on the first floor room of the log cabin, known as the keeping room, was where the residents did all their cooking. This fireplace is 14 feet by eight inches wide and extends from wall-to-wall. Marge states that Edwin Brumbaugh believes this is the largest fireplace he has ever seen. As her records continue, she says that the log cabin was encased in stone at some point. There is a dry sink in the left corner of the fireplace and a brick bread oven in the right corner. The fireplace wall has not been disturbed, according to Brumbaugh, and remains today as it was in the late 1600’s. This simple log cabin remained such until 1769 when the owners enlarged the structure.
This first addition added a living room and three bedrooms upstairs and another bedroom on the third floor. Marge Reeves stated in her history of the property that she believes the living room was once two rooms. There are fireplaces on opposite sides of this space. She notes that the dividing wall had been removed by the time they owned the property. The Reeves added a new
section to the 1769 addition in 1972-1974. A lean-to kitchen stood at the east end of the house. This was removed and a new section was added to create a kitchen and dining room, a powder room, as well as a master bedroom above and a guest bedroom on the third floor.
As the newest owners of a centuries-old farmhouse, the prospect of major repairs and construction are always looming. This was not the case for the Schimek’s. “The farmhouse was in good condition,” adds Rob,” it just had not been updated since the 1970s.” Rob adds that the barn was the biggest building on the property and the most dilapidated, so that is where the work began. They maintained their home in Dutchess Farm Estates and worked with Tim Sager, a local contractor, to begin some of the renovations. “We entrusted him with this project while we were in London for a year,” Rob explains.
Upon their return from London, in March of 2013, Janet and Bob worked along with a team to map out and orchestrate the renewal of Dutchess Farm. The renovation of the barn was already in process. Now they began refurbishing the farmhouse working with their contractor, Tim Sager, their designer, Susan Lanshe, and Joel Petty, their architect. “We could not change the footprint of the house,” Rob notes, “and did want to maintain the house’s original elements as much as possible.” In full collaboration with Janet and Rob, the team assessed what work needed to be done. “We really did not change much in most of the rooms,” Janet continues. They were living in the home in Dutchess Farm Estates until all the renovations were completed, moving into their newly refurbished homestead in June of 2017. “I actually watched the renovation project from the house,” adds Janet.
In the farmhouse, other than aesthetics like removing wallpaper and repainting