monroevillehistorical.org

Bauman Farmhouse in 2005

Thompson House, c. 1850

709 Beatty Road

This imposing house situated on its prominent rise, overlooking a wooded glen stands as an isolated enclave of pastoral calm; complete with horses grazing peacefully on the grounds, all tucked away in busy, bustling Monroeville.

The land was originally deeded from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to John McKee, in 1784; in 1795 it passed to the McClintock family.  It was then parceled out with a portion going to the Keisters and then on to John Thompson, Sr., whose family had come to Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1812.  The second portion went from the McClintocks to the Sieberts, before being sold to John Thompsons son, William McCleland Thompson in 1848, who bought the land adjacent to his father’s farm.

The Thompson family was to rise to prominence in the area, while the farm was to remain in the family for more than 100 years.  In 1925, a parcel on the southern end was sold to the Burke Brothers for an amusement park they planned to build near Route 22. 

It may have been William M. Thompson who built this large and well-constructed farmhouse at about the middle of the 19^th century.   It is said that this was one of the first houses in Monroeville to have natural gas, when People’s Gas Company extended service to Monroeville in 1908, ending the era of the oil lamp.  Apparently, neighbors congregated at the big house on the hill for community social events, taking advantage of the modern convenience that lit the rooms.  In 1950, the Thompson’s sold the house and its grounds to the Bauman family who continues its farming tradition by caring for livestock, and providing a shelter for wayward animals in need of a home. 

This 2-story, 3 x 2 bay frame farmhouse has been extensively modernized with clapboard siding, and screened-in porches, front and back.  It has 8 rooms, fireplaces and chimneys at either end, and a large fenced-in yard at the rear.   On the West side, a 2-story polygonal bay projects out, in keeping with the gingerbread decoration of an earlier era that had once been applied to the house.