121 East Fifth Street 6
This is the Knecht-Kershner House . It was built circa 1879 by Col. Clarence G. Jackson for his coachman, Jacob Knecht. Knecht, born in nearby Mainville, lived in the house with his wife Martha and their three children. The home stayed in the Knecht family until 2016 when Jacob’s great- grandson, Gerald Kershner bequeathed
the property to the Berwick Historical Society upon his passing. While he lived there, Gerald spent more than 15 years restoring the home to its original appearance. The interior of the home contains a collection of four generations of the Knecht-Kershner family, including many original items from the Jackson Mansion. Descended from the Greek Revival style, the architectural design of this house is known as National Folk House with the gable front and wing family styles. The addition of the side gabled wing at right angles to the gabled front gives the house its compound gabled front and wing shape. This home and the adjacent home at 119 East Fifth Street were known as the Jackson cottages. The Jackson family’s vegetable garden was located behind the cottages. The vegetable garden originally had large grape arbors, a root cellar and asparagus beds. Mrs. Jackson was known for having the first asparagus crop of the season and would host an asparagus-themed dinner in the Mansion.
119 East Fifth Street 7
This was the Jackson Parlor Maids’ Home , built circa 1879 to house the parlor maids employed at the Jackson Mansion. The home was comfortable and could easily accomodate six parlor maids. It has two parlors and a large kitchen so the maids could entertain friends on their days off. The roof was replaced in the spring of 2012, and
followed the same design as the original. The property is now owned by The Berwick Historical Society after it was generously bequeathed to the organization by the late Gerald Kershner. The home follows the same architectural design as the adjacent 121 East Fifth Street property.
•Continue to the end of East 5 th Street and look to your right to see the next property.
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