The "A Truly Enlightening Holiday Light Display" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in the passenger's seat as my wife drives the two of us as well as our daughter-in-law Barbara and her sister and mother through a beautiful lighted Christmas display in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.  We are on the Ironstone Ranch's Stone Gables Estate looking at the lights along the road as well as the beautiful Star Barn.  

The Star Barn in Middletown years ago.

I have written about Lancaster's Star Barn in the past and about it's move from what at one time was known as Walnut Hill Farm to Stone Gables.  A bit of background may help you to understand a bit more about the barn and the lighted Christmas display.  In 1872 Mr. John Motter purchased Walnut Hill Farm in Middletown, Pennsylvania and shortly after built the Star Barn.

The Star Barn in Middletown as shown by my altered Polaroid.

When finished it was a majestic Gothic Revival-style barn with a towering cupola, four dominant louvered star ventilators, a 56-foot-long vaulted stone tunnel, and other rare architec- tural features that made it a cut above the standard bank barn.  There were a few outbuildings close by which included a carriage house/corn crib, hog barn and chicken coup which were also created in the Gothic Revival architectural style.  

The Star Barn and outbuildings after moving to Elizabethtown.
This photo is from the Star Barn website.

The barn and out buildings showcased Colonel Motter's prized horses which he sold to the U.S. Cavalry during and after the Civil War.  The barn also housed chickens and hogs, stored hay and feed, stored corn and provided shelter for carriages and farm implements.  In the late 1920's it became a dairy operation.  But, in 1986 dairy and farming operations ceased and by 1994 the 164-acre property was reduced to 3.68 acres which included the barn and structures as well as the barnyard.  

The start of the holiday light display.

State Route 283 ran close to the barn and an encroaching housing develop- ment approached from the opposite direction.  Several historical preser-

vation groups and organizations helped to maintain the barn, but that wasn't enough to save the site.  Then along came David and Tierney Abel who saw the potential in the Star Barn and purchased it in October, 2014.  They moved it from Middletown to Elizabethtown for integration into Stone Gables and existing Rural Heritage Meeting Center.  

One of the buildings after the sun had gone down.

The following year they received permission from the National Register of Historic Places and began to disassemble the Star Barn.  What we are driving past and through on our lighted Christmas display tonight is the results of their labor.  The complementary, or outbuildings, include a hay barn (nicknamed Star Barn II), a milk house, a spring house another corn crib, a gazebo, The Star Barn Manor House, a summer kitchen, a privy (outhouse), a Quaker-style run-in shed and a nut house.  

Another twilight photo of The Star Barn.

The restoration is gorgeous!  And, the lighting is remark- able!!  The property is now being used for weddings, corporate events, special occasions, dining facilities with plans for more to come.  The beautiful, peaceful location with rolling hills, pastures, gardens and wooded acres remind you of what a true village should be.  

The alpacas with Santa hats.

The lightshow tonight features not only twinkling lights on trees and holiday displays, but a few alpacas decorated with Santa hats who greeted  us part-way through our holiday journey.  They project 400,000 visitors and I'm sure they all will enjoy themselves.  We were told we could go through the display as many times as we wanted to and we took them up on the invitation.  We enjoyed ourselves and plan to make a trip to the Star Barn in the spring to see the place during growing season.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   PS - Check out some of my photos from our tour.  Lucky my wife drove to give me a chance to take the photos.

An outbuilding lighting up the night sky.

Notice the star on the end of this building.

The main building taken on our second trip around the property.  Sky was dark at this time.

Click on the image to enlarge it.  This lighted board tells the story of the five pointed star that is seen on so many of the structures on the property.