venango county homes 26

css3menu.com

html menu by Css3Menu.com

26. William Shaffer - Witherup Family Home

William Shaffer Home

He came home from the war, the Civil War, and returned to his growing farming interests. William had enlisted August 28, 1862 and enrolled as a bugler of Co. M, 5th PA Cavalry. He served faithfully until peace was restored, participating in the operations about Petersburg, VA and in the famous raid by General Wilson in 1865. He was also present in the operations that culminated in the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

He was the son of Charles P. and Salome Shanner Shaffer was born near Emlenton in 1840.

Eventually William Shaffer expanded into the oil well drilling business, which also became successful. He built the house depicted by the sketch herein at 828 Liberty Street in 1865, which unfortunately, burnt. It was rebuilt in 1904 to the current structure.

William was married to Helena Hughes Shaffer. Thirteen children were born to them, ten surviving William who died in 1925. Helen died a few years earlier in 1918. Interred with them at Franklin Cemetery is their son Frank B. who was born in 1875 and died in 1916; Pattie Pearl, infant daughter who was born in 1883 and their one year old son, William Lee who was born in 1871.

The Shaffers contributed to the growth of the community of Franklin in many ways. The First Methodist Church and the Franklin Hospital were William Shaffer�s main interests and one of his great accomplishments was � �having lived long enough to see established ..an X-ray laboratory with an expert in charge�.

The Witherup Family Home

He came home from the war, World War II, and eventually Robert Abram Witherup, Sr. joined with his brothers to form a water tank erection and fabrication business, which became successful and operates today. He purchased the Shaffer House in the late 1950s. Both his family and the family company moved into the house. The Witherup house was also filled with many children and the family occupies the house to this day (2011).

The family business grew and the Witherups have continued the legacy of contributing to the growth of the community.

Architectural Highlights

The Shaffer �Witherup House is a brick home that shows many characteristics of the Colonial Revival style including its gable roof with the pitch of the roof facing the street, dormers, a rectangular footprint, a symmetrical fa�ade and chimneys. Large double hung windows have multi-paned sashes above the single panes below. Yet it is the Neoclassical details that make this the gracious, bold, even amazing building it is. A triangular pediment with a fanlight graces the center of the roof slope and is detailed with massive dentils that march beneath the eaves on an equally impressive cornice and also decorate the gable ends which are wrapped by a smaller cornice. A large scale geometric Neoclassical balustrade encloses the balcony, supported by simple, smaller scale Doric columns and railing of turned balusters, complementing the lighter, interior scale of the veranda. An entrance door with sidelights and a transom window recessed between two deep brick structures with oval lights, and a pair of generously sized symmetrical windows enhance the fa�ade.

Contributed by: Marty and Ann Witherup Rudegeair, Sally Kilmer and Penny Minnick