The Peacock's Tale

      Some years back, I became aware of this beautiful piece of history in Nottingham Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, that was sitting empty and quickly deteriorating. After years of hope and prayers, I contacted the former owner, Ann Gamble, and asked that if she ever wanted to sell this house, would she please contact me as I would love to own it. The years went by as I continued to pray until one day, a man I barely knew, showed up at our door and asked if we were still interested in purchasing the house. As our luck would have it, Andy had just been down-sized from his job and purchasing another house seemed impossible, be we went and looked anyway. Through the drooping porch, the broken doors, the piles of dirt and the musty smell, we saw the true beauty of this wonderful place. We knew that on our own, we could not afford to purchase what looked to most, a run down shack. Thanks to a gift from my father-in-law, my dream became a possibility. In June of 1998, we closed on 3 Valley View road and started on the path that was to become "The Peacock's Tale".

        As more years melted away, we put our time and hard work into making this wonderful, Victorian house, built in 1887, the grand place that it once was. We wanted to keep as much of it original as possible but 35 years of sitting vacant had worn away most of the wood on the front porch; the side porch was impossible to salvage. We spent countless hours cleaning out what had been there for decades and we continued on our journey when time and money allowed. My daughter and I tore off all of the old wallpaper and though it was a large job, seeing the history of the house reveal itself, one layer at a time was such a joy. We painted and put up new wallpapers in each room and little by little, the house began its new life.

        The entire exterior of the house was stripped to the bare wood with a heat gun and a putty knife before the primer and new paint were applied. The front and side porches were taken down and every piece of wood that could be saved for re-use was stripped and painted before being put back in place. Many times the job seemed overwhelming and financially impossible but knowing that it was His plan, we just let it happen in His time. For nearly six years, we worked toward one goal and no one can believe the transformation that has taken place. The house is now painted a peacock blue with purple and yellow accents; there is extensive landscaping and lighting. The entire building had to be brought up to current codes. Nearly seven years had passed and on June 3, 2005, we officially opened for business.

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