1803 House Seeks Additional Land

gave the Friends of the 1803 House Society permission on Monday night to work with Rodale to adjust the property line for the historic .

Rodale owns property adjacent to the historic house on South Keystone Avenue. The 1803 House is one of the oldest structures in Emmaus and serves as a museum to show visitors what life was like in the early days of the borough.

The house was continuously occupied until 1975, when Robert Rodale purchased it and donated it to the Borough of Emmaus. Soon after, the Friends of the 1803 House Society formed to preserve the house.

Richard Farmer came before Emmaus Council Monday to seek permission to negotiate with Rodale so the property line could be moved to the middle of a creek, which would be a more natural boundary line.

Farmer indicated that Rodale is agreeable to negotiations that ultimately would result in the transfer of some land from Rodale to the 1803 House. The Friends of the 1803 House already have been using the additional land for some of their events, Farmer said.

said Tuesday that it appears to be less than an acre that is under discussion, but a survey will need to be done to determine the amount of land involved.