From The Archives
1784 Federal
Leesport, Pennsylvania 19533
John Jacob Rieser House 1784
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Prestigious historic home, J.J.Rieser House, built in 1784 and listed on National Register of Historic places in 1990.
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greet your guests or read your favorite book sitting in front of the fireplace.
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dry stone retaining walls and terraces enhance this all fenced in property.
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walk out part of the basement, the original kitchen of the main house.
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charming country kitchen
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| 2.5 Stories | |
| Half Baths | 1 |
| Heated Sq. Ft. | 3,900 |
| Unheated Sq. Ft. | 1,500 |
| Acres | 0.2 |
| Lot Size |
Features.
- 1st Floor Bath
- Attic
- Bonus Room
- Dining room
- Entry Hall
- Finished Basement
- Foyer
- Kitchen
- Living room
- Sunroom
- Unfinished Basement
- Utility Room
- Master bedroom upstairs
- Fenced Yard
- Fresh paint
- Guest House
- Porch
- Restored exterior
- Storm Windows
- Built-in Bookcases
- Ceiling Fans
- Ceramic Tile
- Fireplaces
- Grand staircase
- Original wood windows
- Vinyl floors
- Wood floors
- Tin Roof
- Oil Heating
- Range
- Refrigerator
- Septic Tank
- Claw-foot Tub(s)
No Contact Information.
This listing is archived and is not for sale.
Contact information is not available for archived listings.
Property Highlights
Classic Federal-style stone home, dressed with pediment shelf over front door, welcomes guests into gracious central hall featuring beautifully detailed grand staircase. There is a button about the size of a quarter embedded in the newel post with a center, which can be removed for the insertion of the mortgage papers.Enjoy comfortable country kitchen, formal dining room, all spacious bedrooms with deep closets and lg LR that opens to inviting sun-porch.
Additional features include random width hard pine flooring throughout (narrow cut floorboards on the 1st floor, wide floor boards on the 2nd floor and the attic), original trim and woodwork, period doors and hardware, deep window sills, built in cupboards, 3 FP, a bake oven and a smokehouse on the ground floor.
The 1800's 2 story addition could be used as a private in-law suite, or in home business.
Situated on a completely fenced-in corner lot with mature landscaping, in the heart of Bern township, Berks County PA, this elegant homestead offers all the benefits of country living, yet minutes away from shopping, schools, hospitals and restaurants.
Originality preserved while incorporating modern coveniences.
Historic Bern
The house has a date stone"1784 J & M Rieser". This site was an original Penn Grant to the Rieser family, early settlers in this area and prominent landowners.Jacob Rieser, an emigrant from Bern, Switzerland, settled here on or about 1726. He was a miller and erected a log-constructed gristmill on the premises. Philip Rieser, son of Jacob, succeeded his father after his death in 1770 and built a larger mill of stone construction. This mill was in operation at the outbreak of the American Revolution. Philip's son, John Jacob Rieser, responded to the call of arms at age of 21 years. During his absence, his father, Philip, provided flour for the army at Valley Forge. The mill was remodeled in 1825 by Abraham Rieser, who inherited it from John Jacob, his father. Jonathan Rieser was the next owner. The family was operating a saw mill, ice house, pig pen and farmland. After Jonathan came his son, James Rieser. Before James's death in 1935, he passed on the operation to his son, Harry, who modernized the mill. His sons, Sherwood and Mark, operated the mill until the 1950s. During 1954, 1955, the mill suffered heavy losses; the bankrupt mill was sold at auction in 1956.
The residence has been occupied by eight generations of the Rieser Family, followed by the current owners. The mill is no longer part of the property.
Notes
This early Federal-style house built of cut limestone with corner quoins, was covered with stucco in 1800s for a victorian appeal. Few other original features were changed with the same purpose (shutters, windows, woodwork).All historical information was obtained from "The Book Of Bern", written by The Historical Committee of Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 3rd edition, 2003.
Archived in September, 2012
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