The Daily Item du lieu suivant : Sunbury, Pennsylvania • 28

PAGE 2 FRIDAY, FEB. 27, 1976 THE DAILY ITEM, SUNBURY, PA. Beck home in National Register of Historic SUNBURY The home of Mrs. Basse A. Beck at 62 N.

Front St. has recently been accepted for the National Register of Historic Places. In April 1975, it was included by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in its Inventory of Historical Places. In its application for registry with the National Trust, the Commission described the significance of the structure as follows: "The Beck House is significant as an example of vernacular adaptation of architectural style, and also because a great deal of its interior is still intact. The house is also one of the earliest dwellings in the Sunbury area and as such is an important artifact of the area's early history.

integrated whole" "The builder of the house combined customary classical detailing with his own design elements to create an integrated whole. The geometric designs in the stonework are highly unusual, probably unique, Such detail is extremely remarkable, particularly since the medium is fieldstone. The classical elements- fanlight window, pilasters, cornice- well with the dressed stone to form a distinctive piece of vernacular architecture. "The interior is notable because it contains many original features which are still intact and in use. Flooring, interior woodwork, fireplaces and stairways are Until the discovery of a 1773 deed from the Penn Proprietanies, it was generally However, there is evidence that it was built at two different periods between 1773 and 1796.

This is indicated by the more advanced erosion of masonry and wood in the back section, the different levels of construction and the 22 inch interior stone walls where the more spacious front was joined. 1773 acquisition Jacob Doutler acquired the land front the "Honorable Thomas Penn and John Penn, Proprietaries and Governors in Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania' on March 25, 1773. The terms of the indenture stipulate that Mr. Doutler "erect thereon, within three years, one substantial Dwellinghouse of the Dimensions of 20 square feet, at least, with a good Chimney of Brick or This original indenture is in the possession of the present owner. The front of the building was completed in 1796 by John Simpson who held the office of Register and Recorder of Nor thumberland County from 1777 to 1798.

The house has been in the possession of the Beck family since 1915 when was acquired by George W. Beck, father of the late Basse A. Beck, general manager of the Sunbury Daily Item. Places A DINING ROOM A phote of the dining room of the Beck home includes the old- ON THE COVER The library of the Basse Beck home, 62 N. Front Sun bury, shows the enclosed bookcase and the 22-inch stone interior walls.

fashioned door and the framed original indenture for the land on which the Basse accepted that the house was built in 1796. Beck home is built at 62 N. Front Sunbury. BECK HOME The home of Mrs. Basse A.

Beck, 62 N. Front Sunbury, shows a tional Register of Historic Places and in 1975 was included by the Pennsylvania window that was converted from a doorway. The home has been accepted for the Na- torical and Museum Commission in its Inventory of Historical Places..