“Fire at the residence of E.J. Bischoffberger in East Third avenue , Freedom, Saturday night about 9 o’clock resulted in damage to the structure and furnishings estimated at from $500 to $600.
The family was from home at the time and the fire which is thought to have originate at or near the furnace in the basement was discovered by an engine crew in the Conway yards who gave the alarm by blowing the locomotive’s whistle. The fire ladies responded with their big motor fire truck and by good work confined the fire to the main hall on the first floor to which it had eaten its way by the time they arrived.
Mr. Bischoffberger arrived home from Erie about one o’clock Sunday morning and could not be censured if he regards the happening in the light of a rather costly “house warming”.”
In any event, the mansion was sold to Freedom resident Joseph Nannah in 1924 for the princely sum of $10. Nannah made his own changes by removing the large stone fireplace in the kitchen because it was not useful. Also, in 1925, the stone mausoleum was dismantled and the bodies removed to Oak Grove Cemetery in Freedom where they now rest. At this point, it is unclear as to who was actually responsible for the removal of the mausoleum.
Mansion circa 1950s
Once again, the mansion was passed on to an only daughter, Hazel, a teacher for the Freedom, Conway and Monaca school districts for 45 years. In 1948, a victim of rising costs and maintenance problems, Hazel placed her own “stamp” on the mansion when she divided it up into three apartments in order to help pay the bills. In the 1950’s, Miss Nannah had the wooden floor of the large porch removed and replaced with the concrete floor that you see today. Miss Nannah and her various tenants lived here until the land was appropriated by the state for the construction of Route 65 in the late 1960’s.
Making way for Route 65. Front yard and retaining wall pictured.
Faced with the impending destruction of this historical structure, a one-woman letter writing campaign was begun by Mrs. Mildred Arbutina Pappas. A former Freedom resident, Mrs. Papas conducted her campaign from her new home in Washington , D.C.. Thanks to her efforts, and help from local organizations and governments, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation built a retaining wall to save the mansion. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 18, 1974, ownership of the land was transferred to Beaver County in the mid-1970’s, with the mansion being purchased from Nannah heirs, Gerald and Aloha Fehr Phillips, for $41,000 in 1982. In February of 1999, the William Vicary Mansion became the official home of the Beaver County Historical Research & Landmarks Foundation. Today, the mansion is being restored to its former grandeur and is open to the public for all to enjoy.
Sources:
“Captain William Vicary – The Legend” by Laura Withrow, Pittsburgh Sunday Dispatch, February 19, 1899 .
Deed – Mark Wilcox to William Vicary dated February 18, 1826 . Beaver County Recorder of Deeds. Vol. G Page 388.
Deed – Anna M.V. Harvey to Joseph Nannah dated November 19, 1924 . Beaver County Recorder of Deeds.
“Freedom Home is Rich in Historical Lore” , The Beaver Valley Times, March 26, 1955 .
Letter from Margaret Schuldt to Mr.s Alton Bonzo dated September 24, 1979 . Beaver County Research & Landmarks Foundation.
“Vicary Changes Proposed Under County Option Plan” by Debra Utterback, The Beaver County Times, February 22, 1987 .
Vicary Vs. Moore, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania , Western District, Pittsburgh .
“Big Fire Damage”, The Daily Times, December 19, 1916 .
For more information about the Vicary One Name Study visit http://one-name.org/name_profile/vicary and http://vicaryone-namestudy.blogspot.com.