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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, which is here on 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.”
The old hotel tavern room now houses their collections of antique stoneware jars, crocks, and jugs, displayed in and on top of a cupboard, and also reproduction redware, much of it crafted by Lester Breininger, a seventh generation Berks County potter who passed away last winter. Their collection of wood utensil trays holds literally hundreds of colorful old clay marbles, bought a handful at a time, according to Barb. Looking around the room, she commented, “I’m a primary color person. Consequently, our home is not pastel.”
The Bucksville House presently have five guest rooms, each with a private bath, queen size bed, working fireplace and air conditioning. As you climb the stairs to the second floor, you can’t help to notice the framed oil paintings lining the walls, all painted by Joe who taught industrial arts. The Gold Room is according to Barb, “Our reproduction room. Joe built all of the furniture—a desk, dresser, large mirror, trunk, tables and canopy bed—while the Blue Room is furnished with antique furniture, including a hoop-skirt rocker with the arms set back from the front to accommodate those large skirts.” There also are several quilts and a whimsical stack of wood footstools, going from largest at the bottom, up to smallest. On the walls are framed schoolchildren drawings and a framed show towel with a family name embroidered on it. Barb commented, “We had a young woman staying in this room one summer night, visiting the area for a family reunion. When she saw the name on the towel, she got quite excited and took a picture of it to take to the reunion, which was for that family. It turns out the person who had embroidered the towel was a direct ancestor who lived in Haycock.”
The Nicholas Buck Room, the third and largest on the second floor, is in the original 18th-century part of the house. It’s furnished with antiques, including a display of their collection of child’s chairs, artfully hung from one wall, and white ironstone pitchers, some shown on antique garden racks. There are numerous quilts, most neatly folded and stacked in the upper section of an antique open-top cupboard in old blue paint. A trundle bed is whimsically mounted on a wall. Said Barb, “Joe converted a small adjacent bedroom into the bath and installed the fireplace, copying the early woodwork of the others in the house.”
The staircase walls leading to the Attic Suite are decoratively painted with trees and vines. Joe built the railings, a bookcase, quilt holders, skylights and the bathroom. The Suite is furnished with antiques, such as an acorn bedstead that Joe converted to queen size. The bathroom walls show off framed early schoolchildren math papers. And, their collection of whimsical German hand puppets is displayed on the original exposed wood beams. One other notable object is a piece of vellum framed so it can be read on both sides. “This calligraphy, which is dated 1790, was lining a box we bought. It refers to Mr. Madison and a report from Congress,” she explained.
The fifth room, called Sara’s Room, is the newest and has its own ground floor entrance. “It’s another Joe’s room,” Barb said, continuing, “It’s wheelchair accessible, including grab bars in the bathroom, and is furnished in pine furniture he built from old wood. We turned a two-car garage into this room and an office.”
As you stand outside and look around, provided there isn’t snow on the ground, you see an expanse of lawn, brick walkways that connect the arbor, gazebo, herb garden, water garden and a large wood deck. There’s a pond, fencing and huge trees. One of the largest, an enormous silver maple that’s 144 inches in circumference, sits close to the house and is incorporated into the brickwork. There are outbuildings, the main one a four-car garage. Joe did all of this with Barb’s help.
In its nearly three decades, the Bucksville House Bed & Breakfast has garnered numerous awards. New York Magazine said, “Wonderful antiques … each guest room is appealing and a great value …” In 2011 and 2010, it was named “Best in Bucks” by the The Intelligencer and in 2005 received a Book of Lists award as the Best Antiques by The Inn Traveler. It was featured in Country Living magazine in 1998 and named a Garden of Distinction by Bucks Beautiful in 1993. Also, it’s been featured in Country Sampler and Travel and Leisure. In addition, the property has been used as a backdrop for advertising by the Waterford Crystal Company, a bridal dress manufacturer and Rodale Press, the last numerous times.
Joe grew up in Roebling, New Jersey, “ … a steel town, a company town. I worked at the plant for a couple of summers, long enough to realize I didn’t want to do that forever,” he said. After graduating from Florence Township High School, he earned a B.A. in industrial technology (industrial arts) from Trenton State College, and then he got a job teaching woodworking, metalworking and mechanical drawing at Willingboro Junior High. He went back to school at night to get his Masters, becoming certified to teach in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “After two years of teaching, the school offered me the opportunity to be the department chairman. I was the youngest department head at the largest junior high in New Jersey,” he said. He held that job for 14 years. While there, he met fellow Willingboro teacher Barb. They were married in 1982.
Barb grew up in Marwood, PA. After high school graduation, she earned a B.S. in elementary education at Slippery Rock, then her M.S. in developmental reading at Eastern Connecticut State College. She has taught in some form at every level from Kindergarten through 12th, except First Grade, working in Connecticut and Virginia Beach before coming to the Willingboro district.
Barb said, “We’d been to a few B&Bs and liked the idea of having one. We always wanted an old house with some charm and history. When Joe’s school closed and he was laid off, we started looking at properties. Our real estate agent was not going to show us this house since it had been vacant for three years, sitting empty with no heat. But, we saw the potential, with an eye to opening a B&B. Because of that, we got the necessary zoning approval before we bought the property in May of 1984.” Joe added, “Between me, a good electrician and a skilled plumber, we did ninety percent of the work on the building.” After a year of hard labor, The Bucksville House Bed & Breakfast opened in May of 1985 with three guest rooms
“Once this got going,” Joe said, “I started my own carpentry business, Joe Szollosi Woodworking. I’d work on outside jobs during the week and here on weekends.” She added, “This was a weekend business because I kept teaching in Willingboro, commuting daily, until I retired.”
Barb prepares the breakfasts at The Bucksville House using fresh ingredients. All baking is done from scratch. She may serve pumpkin French toast, raison nut bread waffles, pancakes with blueberries or pumpkin, an egg dish, a hash brown casserole or quiche with vegetables. “I find lots of people don’t want meat. So we serve that on the side.” she said. Cookies are offered as an afternoon snack. Sodas and water, available at all times, are complimentary. “Our longest stay was two weeks. I prepared a different breakfast every day.” Joe added, “We even used different placemats, dishes and cups, kind of mixing it up.”
When asked about their staff, they laughed, replying, “We’re it!” They have many repeat customers. “People find us through relatives,” Barb said. This energetic, talented couple shows no signs of slowing their pace since both retired from their day jobs. In fact, they’ve devoted that energy to the property and their burgeoning collections. Said Joe, “If you can count the items in a collection, you don’t have enough.”
If immersing yourself in studying the fascinating history of American country antiques is appealing or you need a relaxing break from the hustle of your life, plan a weekend getaway to this Upper Bucks establishment. You can lose yourself in the many collections or curl up in front of a cozy fire with a good book on a chilly, snowy winter day. Either way, you’ll return to the 21st century refreshed and recharged.
To learn more about this charming B&B, call them at 610-847-8948 or visit their website at www.bucksville house.com.
Patti Guthrie is a freelance writer and antiques dealer from Chalfont, PA.