A sprawling 1800s equestrian farm on the market in Butler County has something most homes don’t — original letters penned by a gentleman to a lady of the house.
“The love letters, all believed to have been written during the 1800s by a man to a young lady living in the home, were discovered during renovations,” said listing agent and equestrian real estate expert Elaine Shetler-Libent of KW Luxury International Pittsburgh.
Some of the letters are framed and on display in the foyer, aged and worn, written in cursive.
The five-bedroom home, located at 121 Brewer Road on 147 acres near Saxonburg in rural Clinton Township, remains a successful Airbnb rental.
The letters, postmarked during the 1890s, were addressed to a Miss Ida Maizland, who presumably lived at the residence, but very little is known about Ida.
Her apparent beau or close friend was a Mr. W. J. Harbison or Harbrin (the surname is difficult to read), who penned many of the letters on stationery from the former Pierce Hotel, indicating he was writing from Wichita, Kansas.
“I often think of home and you,” he writes in one letter dated Oct. 17, 1890. “I’m still in the land of the living.”
Alle-Kiski Valley historian Larry Boehm of Leechburg recently perused photos of some of the letters and surmised Miss Ida likely kept the letters away from somebody’s prying eyes.
“Cracks between floorboards and baseboards were a convenient place for home-bound wives or children to discard papers or photos they were trying to hide,” Boehm said.
The previous homeowners framed some of the letters after discovering them during renovations more than 75 years ago.
The Allens said that although the cursive writing is difficult to decipher, the letters still elude a sense of mystery, wonder and awe.
“They were given to us and they absolutely need to stay with the house, ” said Kristan Allen. “They have their own unique history and it just seems right that they stay there. These letters were written to the daughter of the original owners by a potential suitor.”
The couple married and are buried together in Glade Run Cemetery in Butler County, according to Find A Grave. William J. Harbison died in 1944, and Ida died in 1956 at age 82.
Giddy up and go green
The property is offered in its entirety at $4.2 million or can be sold in two different parcels, or with 37 acres and the home and all equestrian outbuildings offered at $2.5 million.
Limited information on the property’s history was provided by the owners, but the land once served as a cattle farm, and has since been designed and constructed as a complete horse training facility offering year-round equestrian training, boarding and event capabilities.
The grounds feature two stocked fishing ponds, an 80 x 160 indoor and outdoor horse arena, 16 pastures, a heated garage and workshop, 32 stalls, an office and an apartment.
“Bring the horses, bring the vision and build the legacy,” Libent said. “This is the kind of property that doesn’t come around twice.”
The indoor arena features steel beams, a rarity in Western Pennsylvania, and Libent said the property would be perfect for use in horse shows because steel beams allow for a high metal-truss ceiling with skylights and mirrored walls.
“There are places for people to park, including horse trailers, and the land is mostly flat and with two arenas, competitions could be held inside,” Libent said.
The property is enrolled in the Butler County Agricultural Land Preservation Program and property co-owners Andrew and Kristan Allen said selling the farm after securing its green status was important.
“We’re big proponents of keeping agricultural use in this area,” Allen said. “It’s a beautiful horse farm that has a lot of opportunity.”
The original home has been remodeled and features two opposite stacked stone fireplaces, chestnut walls and trim, a ceramic porch with sunlights and a lower-level in-law suite.
“The setting is beautiful, sitting up here with a lot of open and wooded land. There are 110 acres of fields and 37 acres of the home, training facility and I’m gonna miss the beauty. Its location is great — you can be in Harmar in 20 minutes.
“We’re stewarding the land. We see both sides of the coin, there’s some great development happening and that’s needed, but also, conversely, we have to look at preserving some of our county’s townships’ beautiful green spaces,” said Allen. “We bought it from generational friends and we didn’t want to see the land go the way of a housing development.”
