Tale of Farmstead History

The Historic Fort Halifax 1800's Schweitzer Bank Barn, Farmhouse, & Yeager House

Below you will find information on the historic Fort Halifax Park buildings, as best we know at this time.   Currently, the 1800's Schweitzer Bank Barn and companion Farmhouse are the oldest structures on the Historic Fort Halifax Park and Preserve property.  As a history and nature park the "Friends" would like to create a history "time-line" with ownerships, stories, and information up to and including current times.  Finding out all the pre-history and history of this property is a work in progress and we ask the local community for their further assistance to tell this story for future generations.  The farmstead, and outbuildings including the Granary, Wagon Shed, and Milk House along with Yeager House, are slowly being restored and preserved for repurposing in the hopes that they will generate a revenue stream to sustain the entire park.  The barn and farmhouse are in jeopardy of being demolished by the Halifax Township Board of Supervisors, but the Friends of Fort Halifax Park, Inc. would like to save, preserve, and repurpose these historic buildings.  The entire park is designated as eligible by the PA State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for the National Register of Historic Places.  It is also on the Preservation PA - PA at Risk list of at risk properties in the hopes of saving these treasures and facilitating a new park owner at the request of Halifax Township Supervisors.  Community support and assistance is needed! ​ If you or anyone you know has historical information about the land and buildings, or if you would like to assist with the preservation efforts to save them - please contact the "Friends" at friendsofforthalifax@gmail.com.  Thank you!
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​The Fort Halifax barn is a classic example of an early 19th Century Schweitzer barn. Built in the early 1800’s it has bankside out-sheds, decorative arched and circular medallion louvers, corbels along the eaves, and horizontal siding all giving this barn a distinctive feel characteristic of Central PA. It is believed that the barn and companion farmhouse may have been built about the time when the Joseph Geiger family owned (1820-1888) the Fort Halifax Park property. In 1951 Andrew and Sarah Yeager bought the property and adapted this barn for their successful dairy production. The Yeager’s had 50 dairy cows, and farmed wheat, corn, and oats until 1972-73. The picture of the farm was featured in Apprise Magazine (June 1992) due to the Agnes flood. The Yeager family sold the property in 2004 to the Central PA Conservancy and in 2006 Halifax Township took ownership. Currently the Friends of Fort Halifax Park, Inc. are looking to save from demolition this barn and the companion farmhouse, to continue their goals of restoring the buildings for repurposing.
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Historical Information credits: Village Restorations & Consulting, LLC, Barn and Farm Foundation, Pictures from FoFHP Library and Apprise Magazine
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The original 1800's farmhouse at Fort Halifax Park was built around 1820-1830. The house (see picture, left side of house) was built, most likely by the owner at the time, Joseph Geiger. Joseph was the 5th owner (if you count Thomas and John Penn) of the property which at the time was called "old Fort Halifax". He bought the property for his family in 1820 to farm. Joseph was a blacksmith and Harrisburg merchant. He and his wife, Sarah Rupley Geiger had 5 children. Geiger family members, Rebecca Emily Geiger and Sarah Louisa (Geiger) Gray owned and resided on this land off and on up through 1888. The farmhouse had an addition (see picture, right side) built onto it in the 1870's. It also has two very old stone basements with a cooking hearth, most likely used for a summer kitchen or an original homestead. The hearth dates to post-Revolutionary times of the early 1800's, though Dendrochronology (study of tree rings) testing could tell more. The floor joists and timbers used to build this home are from three early time periods, the oldest being hand hewn. The next being from a reciprocating type saw mill, such as the type used from the Armstrong Sawmill that built Fort Halifax or that was used to cut the logs that built Fort Halifax. And the last from a 19th century circular type sawmill.
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History Research Credits: Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia, Chapter 7, Geiger, Dauphin County, PA and Village Restorations initial examination
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 Yeager House, built in 1958 by Glenn Yeager for his family, was the first home built by Glenn.  Glenn and his four siblings were the children of Andrew and Sarah Yeager who purchased the 174 acres of land in 1951 that is now Fort Halifax Park.  The Yeager's had a successful dairy farm with 50 head of cow and grew wheat, corn, and oats up through the 1970's.  There are three outbuildings, the Granary, Wagonshed, and Milkhouse, that remain on the property today.  
In 2004 the Yeager family sold their farm to the Central PA Conservancy.  “They held a vision to preserve the property as public open space for conservation and passive recreation.  To help meet this goal, assistance was provided by PaDCNR Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, Dauphin County, the Friends of Fort Halifax Park, Inc., corporate and private donors, and Halifax Township.  Through their collaborative efforts the land was purchased, protected by conservation easement, and became the property of Halifax Township for use as a passive public recreation and open space.”*


*quoted information from: Fort Halifax Park Master Site Plan, November 2011, Sec 1-2 and 1-3