On the way home from my recent trip to the
north Conashaugh trail, I decided to take a short hike up to the historic Zimmerman House in Dingmans Ferry, PA. The house, just like the property it sits on, has a long and interesting history. After buying the property from the Van Ettens in 1882, the Zimmermans lived in the original farm house, shown in my photos from
Hiking the Conashaugh Trail South, until building a new house 1/4 mile south-east of the farm. The new house, designed by John Zimmerman and his daughter Marie in 1910, was completed by 1912. Built in the Dutch Colonial Revival style, it features a native block stone exterior and a New England slate roof. It appears the family used the house until Marie moved away in 1969 when it was clear that a mandated buyout by the federal government was looming on the horizon thanks to the
Tocks Island Dam Project.
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| Zimmerman Farm Road |
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| Hiking to the Zimmerman House |
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| An easy hike |
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| Fields next to the Zimmerman House |
By 1997, the property had sat unused for over 25 years and was in desperate need of repair. A non-profit group called the
Friends of Marie Zimmerman formed with the sole purpose of bringing this beautiful structure back to its former glory. Thanks to the help of Pennsylvania congressman
Joe McDade, the group was granted $1 million from congress for this purpose. The money went to repairing the roof, fixing the windows and doors, and installing a geothermal heating/cooling system. By 2010, with the original funds exhausted, the group paired with the Marie and John Zimmerman Fund for a full restoration of the interior which took three years to complete.
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| Driveway Gate |
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| First glimpse of the house |
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| Marie Zimmerman Estate House |
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| Marie Zimmerman Estate House |
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| Zimmerman House Front Door |
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| Peeking in the window |
To get to the Zimmerman House you can park in a small lot at N41° 14.785' W74° 51.684' along Zimmerman Farm Rd. Not to be confused with the Zimmerman Rd. which I traveled on in my last post. While Zimmerman Farm Rd is closed to traffic, you are allowed to walk up it to reach the property. After hiking a half mile north you'll get your first glimpse of the Zimmerman House. Also on the property is an old garage and a newly built barn that houses maintenance equipment. On the day of my trip in April the house was closed to the public but it will be open for tours on weekends in July and August. While the house may have been closed to the public on this particular day, just being able to wander around the property and peek in the windows was well worth this relaxed hike. Also, if you'd like to extend your hike, you can travel up the north driveway for about 1/4 mile to check out the old farm. Enjoy the photos!
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| Marie Zimmerman Estate House |
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| Another look at the Zimmerman house |
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| Old Garage |
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| New Barn |
If you'd like to follow my steps to the Zimmerman House,
check out the map of my trip and download the GPX file below. It
contains the route I took as well as some important waypoints.
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| Hike to Zimmerman House Elevation Graph |
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