Anyone who travels Route 30 in Gap, Lancaster County has seen the big, beautiful house and farm known as White Chimneys.

One of the most historic structures in south central Pennsylvania, White Chimneys dates back to the early 1700s, when it opened as a tavern.

Jessica Meyer, co-owner of White Chimneys Estate, appeared on The Spark Monday and talked about the estate's history,"Starting in 1720, the original portion of the house was credited to being built by a gentleman named Francis Jones, who was a Quaker himself and one of William Penn's purported church members. So he built the first part. And back then taverns were more like (places to) trade. It was where you slept, it was where you got the news, you were safe. So those sorts of things were happening. The next edition on the house was another room, and that was approximately in the 1750s. And at that point, one of Francis Jones's granddaughters marries a gentleman named Henry Schumacher, which was Anglicized to be Slaymaker. And at that point they took ownership. And it was in the Slaymaker family from 1779 until the year 2000, nine generations and over 200 years."

Through the years, there have stories that White Chimneys is haunted by ghosts. Meyer takes issue with the word "haunted," but says,"Whether you call it a heartbeat or a spiritual presence, I can tell you there is a presence here. But we have never had anything negative happen. And it's not a negative aura or anything like that. We had white smoke at various locations. We often we often hear children playing or we'll hear some voices and things like that. But I believe that throughout the years, I believe it was a very happy place. And there were many, many great memories that happened here."

Today’s White Chimney Estates is a wedding and events space as well as a working farm.

This Saturday, White Chimneys will host a living history day that will include a Civil War battle reenactment, house tours, food trucks and fireworks.

Anyone who travels Route 30 in Gap, Lancaster County has seen the big, beautiful house and farm known as <a href="https://whitechimneysestate.com/">White Chimneys</a>.
One of the most historic structures in south central Pennsylvania, White Chimneys dates back to the early 1700s, when it opened as a tavern.
Jessica Meyer, co-owner of White Chimneys Estate, appeared on The Spark Monday and talked about the estate's history,"Starting in 1720, the original portion of the house was credited to being built by a gentleman named Francis Jones, who was a Quaker himself and one of William Penn's purported church members. So he built the first part. And back then taverns were more like (places to) trade. It was where you slept, it was where you got the news, you were safe. So those sorts of things were happening. The next edition on the house was another room, and that was approximately in the 1750s. And at that point, one of Francis Jones's granddaughters marries a gentleman named Henry Schumacher, which was Anglicized to be Slaymaker. And at that point they took ownership. And it was in the Slaymaker family from 1779 until the year 2000, nine generations and over 200 years."
Through the years, there have stories that White Chimneys is haunted by ghosts. Meyer takes issue with the word "haunted," but says,"Whether you call it a heartbeat or a spiritual presence, I can tell you there is a presence here. But we have never had anything negative happen. And it's not a negative aura or anything like that. We had white smoke at various locations. We often we often hear children playing or we'll hear some voices and things like that. But I believe that throughout the years, I believe it was a very happy place. And there were many, many great memories that happened here."
Today’s White Chimney Estates is a wedding and events space as well as a working farm.
This Saturday, White Chimneys will host a living history day that will include a Civil War battle reenactment, house tours, food trucks and fireworks.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

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