Dreibelbis Farm preserves history, environment
A member of the family has owned the Richmond Township farmstead since 1778
Just two years after the Revolutionary War started, Jacob B. Dreibelbis purchased 247 acres in Richmond Township for 2,000 pounds from his legal guardians, George and Christiana Merkel, on Oct. 2, 1778.
Of that property, 180 acres are still in the possession of the Dreibelbis family and now comprise Historic Dreibelbis Farm.
Mark and Janine Dreibelbis, both 68, are the current owners and live nearby.
Mark is president of the Dreibelbis Farm Historical Society, which was formed in 1989, the same year the farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
He listed five reasons the farm is important to the area: the farmland is preserved; it is Berks’ second oldest family owned farm; its genealogical importance; the property’s history as a large and prosperous Native American village; and its environmental importance.
Preservation
“This preserved farmland,
with a conservation easement held by Berks Nature, will never be developed,” Mark explained. “We feel the preservation of open space in the increasingly crowded East Coast is extremely important and in fact was one of the driving features that compelled us to get together, form the nonprofit to preserve it.”
The farm was started in 1778 by Jacob B. Dreibelbis, son of the first ancestor to emigrate from Germany to America, John Jacob
Dreibelbis.
Jacob had become the ward of the Merkels when his father died in 1761. After purchasing the land from the Merkels (also spelled Merckel according to Berks County deed records), Mark said Jacob constructed a log cabin on the site. It stood until just after the Civil War. It was torn down to make way for the farmhouse constructed by Joel H. Dreibelbis in 1868.
The farmhouse still stands today and has not been modernized since the 1930s.
“There have been minimal to no improvements,” Mark Dreibelbis said. “Probably the last improvements were in the 1930s for the Rural Electrification Act, REA. There’s minimal electricity. It’s just one bulb in each room, that’s it. No kitchen, no bathroom. The house has never been improved, which adds to its uniqueness.”
Family traditions
Since the property has been continuously family owned, it has become a historical repository of sorts.
“All the antiques, artifacts, pots, pans, butchering equipment, ice harvesting equipment, all of that is here on the farm,” Mark said. “The house is fascinating with the original furnishings and artifacts, and
really the place was just crying out to be preserved and become a museum.”
Each year, the Dreibelbis family reunion is held at the farm, and they have had as many as 200 people attend from across the country.
“We’re distinctive, the only family in the country with that name,” Mark said. “We do have a significant genealogy, I think they’re up to over 28,000 entries on the registry.”
When asked about the origin of the surname, Mark said they traced it to a village in Switzerland.
“It was originally Tüffelbeiss, which means devil’s bite in German, and then it morphed to Düfelbess, and then we had the signature of original ancestor John Jacob when he got off the boat in Chester, it was spelled Dreibelbis,” Mark said.
Native American village
Long before the first Dreibelbis sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and set foot on Berks County soil, the Lenape indigenous people had developed a thriving village at the confluence of the Saucony and Maiden creeks.
“It was on the main trade route from the Chesapeake up on to Ontario,” Mark said, noting that some of
the artifacts found on the property have been up to 12,000 years old.
Indian artifacts are among the items visitors can see if they take a tour of the farmhouse for $5 during the upcoming Farm Festival on Aug. 27. Parking is $3 that day.
“We have 40 different reenactors, three music groups and tours of the house at that festival,” Mark said, noting the next time tours would be available is Sept. 25 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wetlands, wildlife
Another reason to visit Historic Dreibelbis Farm is its environment.
“We have very significant wetlands, creeks; we have frontage on the Maiden Creek,” Mark said. “We have land that’s enrolled in the federal CREP program, which is a conservation reserve enhancement program that keeps it from being farmed, and it’s reverting into natural wildlife habitat.”
They have a nature trail that winds through wetlands and along the creek. Each year they hold a Wildflower Walk with a biologist to talk about the flowers and plants there. A Spring Peeper Walk is also held.
“Our wetlands just come alive with little amphibians, peeper frogs,” Mark said. “Birdwatching is popular.
There really is 180 acres of prime wildlife habitat.”
There are bluebird nesting box and wood duck nesting box trails, too.
Each February when they clean out the wood duck nesting boxes they usually get to see an unexpected tenant — screech owls. They will take up residence when the ducks are not there.
Mark said the grounds are open to the public without an admission charge, but visitors should call ahead to let someone know they will be coming because they might need some onsite instruction on where to find the trails.