Faces of the Valley: Pam Seguin works to bring history to life at Harrison's Burtner House

Sarver resident Pam Seguin considers her volunteer role with the Burtner House Restoration Society a perfect fit.

Outside of being transported for a visit to life in the 19th century, nothing could suit her passions better, Seguin joked.

The Burtner House, situated on a Harrison hillside near the Route 28 Expressway, was built in 1821 and served as a working farm and residence until the 1960s.

Today, the Restoration Society works to preserve the homestead and maintain the property. It hosts seasonal festivals and offers private tours to give visitors a glimpse into local history.

Last year, Seguin was elected as the nonprofit’s secretary and works diligently to raise awareness of the site’s regional significance.

“My love of primitives and all things from the past got me involved here,” said Seguin, who spent her career as a nurse at Allegheny Valley and Butler Memorial hospitals.

“Once I saw the inside of the house and all the memories from past eras, I was hooked.”

Inside the massive farmhouse, rooms are appointed with relics that date to the turn of the century: cast iron skillets, yokes used to carry water from the nearby stream and a pie safe that once kept baked goods fresh.

“I like the entire kitchen,” Seguin said. “I’m a lover of bringing back the old-time stuff.”

She has collected similar antiques in her own home, filling her dining room with iron molds and butter churns.

“The Burtner House has a really nice churn. It’s just the perfect place for me.”

Seguin said that despite having grown up in a neighboring community, she didn’t have an inkling of what went on behind the stone walls so frequently passed by motorists on their way to Route 28.

“I was so surprised at what all they do. I think the problem with getting more volunteers is that a lot of people don’t know.”

The three-story Burtner House was built by family descendant Philip Burtner at least two decades before indoor plumbing was invented and decades before the advent of electricity.

It is one of the five oldest homes in Allegheny County, having celebrated its 200th anniversary last year.

The farmhouse was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Society President Jeff Jones praised the efforts by Seguin and others who work throughout the year to maintain and share the historic treasure.

The group’s upcoming Strawberry Festival on June 18 would not be possible without the volunteers, he said.

The event, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature 25 craft vendors, house tours, a blacksmith demonstration, a visit from “Abraham Lincoln” and, of course the highlight, homemade strawberry shortcakes.

It’s like stepping back in time, seeing how arduous life was for early settlers, Seguin said. Tours of the Spring House at the foot of the farm illustrate the lack of modern appliances: The space was used to chill fruits and meats.

Seguin and others will don period garb, such as long wool skirts and bonnet hats, just like the home’s early women wore — even in the heat of summer.

Seguin isn’t bothered by the hard work. She has spent hours pruning the grounds and erected a salt lick for the neighborhood deer.

She said the time and sweat is all worth it, especially because the home was targeted for demolition during the 1972 construction of the expressway.

“We’ve got to work to keep it going,” she said. “There’s a lot to be done in an 1821 house.”