PHILIPSBURG — Philipsburg’s oldest remaining structure, the John Henry Simler House, will be one of the featured sites on tours of Philipsburg’s most historic venues, offered by the Philipsburg Historical Foundation during the summer of 2017, PHF President Mark Seinfelt announced in a recent press release.
“The Simler House, built around 1807, is really a first-class log cabin for the wilderness that Philipsburg then was,” said Seinfelt. “Among its more refined features are full basement, inside stairs, glass windows, pine paneling downstairs, and a large stone fireplace. My great-great-great-grandfather Simler, who came to Philipsburg with the original settlers in 1797, built his first cabin at the northeast corner of Front and Laurel Streets, but by 1807 had accumulated enough means to erect a more comfortable house at the northeast corner of Second and Laurel. The house was completely restored by a Simler descendant in 2001, and has been a Philipsburg gem ever since. I plan to be conducting tours there every Sunday afternoon all summer, from 2-4 p.m., and urge people to come and experience the feel of what living in the wilderness was all about.”
“The old Union Church, or Mud Church as it is affectionately called, will also be open for tours at the same hours, as will the Philipsburg Historical Museum in the Moshannon Building at 203 North Front Street,” said PHF curator Luther Gette. “In addition, the Historical Museum will be open on Thursday evenings from 6-8 p.m. in order to allow time for family and historical research.
“We plan to keep all three of these sites open for extended hours during Philipsburg Heritage Days in July and will be announcing these hours as the time approaches,” said Gette. “People who are coming back for a visit to their hometown, or those who have never visited before, have expressed admiration and interest in all of Philipsburg’s historic sites.
“We hope to accommodate this interest by keeping the sites open as much as possible,” he said. “See you there.”
