The Keim House

If you ever looked at the cover of Phil Pendleton's book, Oley Valley Heritage, you've seen the Keim House. From afar it looks like any other big old stone Oley Valley House with an auxillary building, but really it's one of the best preserved houses in the valley. There are preservation efforts going on in the house right now to get it back to an even more prestine eighteenth century condition.

Jim, another intern named Dave, and I went to the Keim house in 100 degree heat one day. It was quite an experience.

The place has beautiful herring bone doors, one of which is original

The porch wraps around two side of the house. There were people renting this place up until the 90's. There is still no running water or plumbing in the house! I would rent a gorgeous place like this even if it didn't have running water too!

This is the fire place. There is a scar around it a few feet up the wall that indicates to is that there amy have been a raised hearth here at some time.

A Bedroom. You can see the Queen Anne's posts poking through the ceiling in this room.

Upstairs fireplace.

The Auxillary building. Once thought to be the house that the original settlers built, it is now believed to be a joiners workshop that was built later.

Barn. It has an overhaning bay on BOTH SIDES. I think this is the only banked barn ever to have this. Jim thinks its most recent use was as a pig stye.

And now for the peice that was worth braving the 100+ degree heat....

The cidar mill. So big it was built into the building that houses it. It's actually attached to the walls. Eighteenth century assesors considered it part of the real estate. That's a lot of apple jack!