Jacob Walters Log House
This fine example of a continental log house was built by Jacob Walters in 1820 (click on the photo to enlarge it). It was the first home constructed in what is now the heart of Duncansville. A local resident purchased the property in 2009 and restored it. The gable ends and soffits have been modernized somewhat, and a porch has been added, but the frame is very much intact.
The juxtaposition of this historic log house with busy US Route 22, and Interstate 99 looming from the east, is unsettling. Quite honestly, I find it hard to believe someone would put so much effort into renovating a house that is in such an unforgiving location. But there aren’t many original log houses left in urban settings, so its setting is indeed unique and notable.
Old and New
Though Jacob Walters was the first permanent inhabitant of the Duncansville area, the name of the town was decided in a coin toss between Walters and rival town father Samuel Duncan. Duncan owned land west of the stream that bisects Duncansville, and lent his name to that property, while Walters owned the land east of the stream and called his section Walterstown.
