KINGSTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A popular destination in Luzerne County is working to make sure history is not forgotten.
There's a new barn under construction next to the dairy store at The Lands at Hillside Farms.
Executive director Chet Mozloom says the beams on the inside are not so new. The frame came from an old barn up the road that was part of the original Hillside Farm.
"It's the best building in the Wyoming Valley in my humble opinion, but this is early 1800s, maybe 1815, 1820. This was a barn that was in the Back Mountain at the time when people started coming back here and building, so it's a pioneer from that aspect," Mozloom said. "It's period correct, same time period, hand-hewn lumber, so we love it."
The folks at The Lands at Hillside Farms tell Newswatch 16 this project was made possible by an anonymous donor with the final price tag of about $800,000.
"I love it," said Michael Boreman. "It seems like more and more you see barns just being taken down, so it's nice to see somebody actually put one up, you know? Because it's not every day you see that. Normally, it's a metal pole barn and a concrete floor and that's it."
Mozloom says the barn addition will extend the dairy store and hold a lot of items currently on display in the mercantile store. He's hoping it will add to the visitor experience at the farm.
"The ability for people who are just coming in and grabbing some milk and leaving real quick to see local artisan and American-made products that maybe wouldn't have made the walk back," said Mozloom.
"It's rustic and a lot of wood so that's what I'm into, so I noticed that right when I came in here because you don't really know what it is from the outside," Boreman added.
The addition that's sparking customer curiosity is scheduled to be completed before Thanksgiving.