Heckler Plains Farmstead
Lower Salford and Franconia Township, Montgomery County
You'll definitely want to take in this one-of-kind "living history museum" in Lower Salford. The Heckler Plains Farmstead is a located on 36-acred, the roots of which can be traced back to a land grant from William Penn to John Longhurst. The property changed hands once before being purchased by Han Reiff in 1718. In 1746, the tract of land was conveyed to Reiff's likely son-in-law, Peter Freed. Freed built a stone Rhine-valley bottom barn in 1761 and an outdoor bake oven around 1780. The stone barn is one of few remaining examples of this type of architecture in Pennsylvania where the threshing floor is on the lower level between the animal stalls and not on the second floor (like it is in bank barns). The outdoor bake oven is one of the last remaining ovens of its kind. Reiff also built an addition to an old Reiff log house to accommodate his daughter, and her husband, George Heckler. Heckler purchased the farm in 1785 for 2,000 Pounds. The land remained in the Heckler family until 1929. Today you can visit the restored barn, house and grounds including an 18th Century kitchen garden and learn about colonial life through living history demonstrations.
