NATURAL LANDS . FALL / WINTER 2020 21 and lawyer . It was one of the largest homes in the township and was built on the site of an earlier log house that appeared on tax rolls in 1798 .
By today ’ s standards , the Ralston house is modest , just 1,950 square feet . But this home was part of a significant local trend towards building larger , costlier structures that began after the Callowhill Manor case in 1790 . Robert Ralston and his son John played instrumental roles as attorneys in this case against the descendants of William Penn , who still laid claim to the land . The decision allowed residents to obtain legal title to the farms they had worked as tenants for decades .
The homestead remained in the Ralston family for more than a century until 1928 . In 1944 , it was subdivided and sold , representing the first change in the property ’ s boundaries since the farm ’ s establishment . In 1956 , the Buckwalter Turkey Farm reunited the parcels ; a little more than a decade later , the farmer sold the land to Ludens , Inc . and it became part of Bryn Coed Farms .
The Ralston House was built on a center-hall plan with symmetrical rooms on each side and an additional rear “ ell ,” which was the kitchen wing . Though in need of updating and modern systems , it is structurally stable and includes many
Ralston House . top : Bob Johnson , bottom : Mae Axelrod