Friends of the 1803 House:

Rodale Press test had purchased the property that the 1803 House was built on in the mid-1960’s for expansion of their business. The picture to the right is what the house looked like back then. Robert Rodale worried about tearing down the old house on the property without first doing some research.  So in 1974, Robert and Ardath [pictured left] and Mayor Pierce Randall agreed that Rodale would donate the house to the borough, along with $10,000 in “seed money”, if an organization was established to research the history of the house, and raise an additional $10,000 from the community for restoration. The 1976 the "Friends of the 1803 House" was formed and restoration began. Elsie Yarema [pictured right] was a major key to the success or the restoration as she was there all of the time to make sure it was done correctly.  The Friends of the 1803  House is a non-profit 501(c-3) corporation which administers the house as a museum. In 2003, the Friends of the 1803 House, placed the 1803 House on the National Register of Historic Places. Fund raising is through memberships, special events, corporate sponsorships, donations and grants. The Beginning of the Friends. For all published articles Go to Resources;

   The Friends of the 1803 House mission is to help preserve and maintain the 1803 House,
as a museum for the community of Emmaus. Below Pictures from 1976 [left] and Today [right]:

When standing at the 1803 House, what would you have seen looking around in the early 1800's?
West...village of Emmaus
East...stream and forest now called "South Mountain"
North...cleared farming fields
South...Moravian Church and God's Acre Cemetery