Historic Bethel Park home is part of tour
George Washington welcomes visitors to the Tabler family home in Bethel Park.
A stately portrait of our first president above the mantel in the living room is the first relic one notices when entering through the front door of the two-story Colonial Revival house. Although Washington didn't sleep there -- that the owners know of -- the framed artwork symbolizes the rich heritage that is woven throughout its 2-foot-thick walls.
The locals in the South Hills know the structure on Kennebec Road as The Fife Homestead, built around 1764 by Nathanial Couch, an early pioneer who served under Gen. Washington. But to Roger and Cassandra Tabler and their family, which includes children Ethan, 8, and Olivia, 4, and their chocolate lab and border collie mix, Cocoa, it's undeniably the Tabler house. A treasure trove of period furnishings and antiques collected by the couple reinforce their identity in each of the rooms.
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation designated the house as a Historic Landmark in 1983, noting its significance as one of the oldest homes in the local area. The Tablers, who moved into the house four years ago, are its eighth owners.
The four-bedroom home has been renovated inside and out, and work still continues. Cassie Tabler says that before they could begin the restoration process, the house needed some major repairs -- including updated heating and electrical systems -- because it had been vacant for about two years before they acquired it in 2002.
The Tablers screened in the side porch and added a wall to the front, using stone from the original house "that was held together by mud and horse hair," Cassie Tabler says. They are in the process of having a detached two-car garage built on one side. There is no basement; the foundation consists only of a crawl space.
One of the interesting aspects of the structure is how its "front" became its "back" over the years. The original farmhouse was said to have faced Brookside Boulevard, but after three subsequent additions, in the mid-1800s, 1940 and 1950, the front of the house, which runs parallel to Kennebec Road, now faces the road, and the boulevard is at the rear of the nearly one acre of property. The original front entranceway is now in a storage area off the living room.
The original house consisted of a 20-foot by 24-foot area (now the living room) with a similar area on the second floor, built of 2-foot-thick fieldstone. The dining room was added in the 1840s, and there are five fireplaces -- two in the oldest part of the house in the living room and master bedroom, and three in the first addition, in the dining room and two upstairs children's rooms.
Her husband's parents, who live in Clarion County, have helped make the house a home, according to Cassie Tabler. His mother sewed curtains from unbleached muslin and bedskirts from country twill for the bedrooms, and his father helped refinish some of the antique furniture obtained by the couple at estate sales. He also built a corner cabinet in the dining room.
Heavy oak hardwood floors complete with holes and knots add to the rustic ambiance of the rooms.
The upstairs master bedroom is a visual treat, with its exposed stone chimney and fireplace and a vaulted ceiling that provides a perfect space for a loft area to display Roger Tabler's extensive railroad lantern collection. Tabler figures he has some 200 lanterns dating to the pre-Civil War era, and says he started the collection as a teen when his great-uncle gave him his first old lantern.
The early railroad theme is carried through in a powder room, where old photos of steam locomotives and railroad stations cover the walls.
Outside, the beige vinyl siding and dark red window trim surrounding replacement windows are among the modern touches that, while not keeping with the historical aspect of the house, make it "a little more comfortable and convenient," Roger Tabler says.
Cassie Tabler says it was "the history and its potential" that attracted her and her husband to leave their home in Whitehall for their current home. He is a musician, music teacher for Mt. Lebanon School District and conductor of the North Pittsburgh Philharmonic, a 70-member symphony orchestra. She recently left her position as vice president of human resources for Precision Technology in North Versailles to work part-time for the company, so that she has more time to oversee the ongoing construction projects and the busy schedules of her young children.
Additional Information:
Historic Bethel Presbyterian Church and House Tour
What : The Tabler home is one of six stops on the Historic Bethel Presbyterian Church and House Tour. Other sites on the self-guided tour include the church, which was founded in 1776 and is said to be Allegheny County's earliest Presbyterian church; its cemetery, where 14 Revolutionary War soldiers are buried; the Oliver Miller Homestead; a Ruthfred Acres house built in the early 1950s; and a newer home situated in the Stolz Road area and built in 2005.
When : 1-5 p.m. Sept. 23
Admission : Advance tickets at and are available at: Keller Williams Real Estate, 1500 Oxford Drive, Suite 300; Every Hardware, 5779 Library Road, and at the church office, 2999 Bethel Church Road, all in Bethel Park. Tickets are $25 the day of the tour. A map on the back of the ticket includes the route. Visitors may present their ticket at any of the tour sites to receive a tour program. They may start the tour at any of the six sites.
Refreshments will be served at the church. Proceeds from the tour will be used to help renovate the church's stained glass windows. Children under 12 are not permitted.
Details : call the church office: 412-835-0405.
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