Carriage House and Summer Kitchen

Carriage House and Summer Kitchen. . Carriage House , The carriage house of the Harmony Society leader, George Rapp, was located at the comer of Thirteenth and Church Streets. In the 1890s the building was changed into a two-story dwelling and rented out. Architect Charles Stotz changed the building back into a one-story carriage house in 1962. Through the years the building has served as the entrance to the historic site and later as a gift shop after the building was restored. It now holds vehicles owned by the Harmony Society. , , A Tragic Story Involved This House , Wayne Lias was seven years old in 1922. He lived at nearby 291 Wagner Avenue with an extended family of ten people, including a brother, two sisters, a cousin, and a few aunts. This would have been around the average family size for that time. His Uncle Clyde and Aunt Nellie Rick moved out of the Lias home and relocated to the current carriage house location. , Wayne and his friends may have entered the garden at Old Economy by climbing over the fence. The young boys were probably curious about the fishpond, trying to catch a glimpse of the creatures below the surface. That fateful day, Wayne was with his brother, Bernell and another boy, either Peter or William Ordesch who lived on Thirteenth Street. The boys spent some time within the property. Bernell left first, and then Wayne and the other boy left shortly after. However, Wayne returned to the property, either through an open gate or through his aunt and uncle's house. The last time Wayne was seen alive was 5:15 p.m. on August 23, 1922 on Thirteenth Street outside of the Rick's home. He was found dead in the pond at 4 a.m. , Wayne's father, Alton, sued the Harmony Society Historical Association for the drowning of his son. During the trial, Squire Fred Knoedier, custodian of the site, testfied that the gates to the grounds were usually closed. On the day of the drowning, he had chased several small boys off the property. Officer Wagner of Ambridge also testified that he was called to scare off some boys. Knoedler assisted in the search of the fish pond to find the drowned boy. , Mr. Lias was awarded $1,500 from the historical society. Wayne's mother, Ruby Lias, became incredibly depressed for the rest of her life. The couple had another son named David in 1926. Mrs.Lias died in 1929 of mitral stenosis. , , Summer Kitchen , The summer kitchen was an outbuilding of the George Rapp house. In a time before efficient cooking ranges, the building is believed to have been used to keep the house cooler during meal preparation in warm months. Rapp's granddaughter Gertrude made apple butter, preserves, jellies, quince juice, and medicine, among other things, in the built-in brick stove. The rest of the building was used as wood and tool storage, a work shop, and a chicken coop. Except for the two cook pots, chimney, and brick floor the building was demolished by architect Charles Stotz and rebuilt in 1962 because it lacked much of its original architectural integrity. , , Architect Charles More Store (1998-1985) was known for his documentation and preservation of Western Pennsylvania architectural history. He wrote The Early Architecture of Western Pennsylvania in 1936. His intermittent restoration of Old Economy Village from 1937 until 1965 restored the heart of Economy to just after it was built, circa 1830. Stotz also worked on Drake Well, Fort Ligonier, Fort Pitt, Hanna's Town, the Old Stone House, Compass Inn, Johnston Tavern, and the Neill Log House, among other historic structures. Founded by his father Edward Stotz, Sr., Charles Stotz's architecture firm is still operating in Pittsburgh as MacLachlan, Cornelius and Filoni Architects and Planners.