The "The House At 1300 Brenneman Road" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at one of the most beautiful houses in southern Lancaster County which is located along Brenneman Road in Conestoga, Pennsylvania.  

The Mellinger Mansion in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

It at one time was known as the Mellinger Mansion which sat on 2+ acres of land with magnificent views of the surrounding farmland.  The historic Victorian home features 10 foot ceilings, decorative slate roofing, gleaming wood floors, stained and frosted glass windows, a butler's pantry, carriage house with in-law quarters and a two story barn.  The house was said to have been built by Henry Mellinger for his son David, starting sometime around 1879, as a wedding gift.  The Edwardian-style house is located in the southern part of Lancaster County near the village know as Conestoga.  The house took about two years to finish.  

The part of the mansion that draws your attention the most is the perfectly curved turret that is on the Northwest corner of the home.  It is a four-story tower that has a peaked roof with curved glass in every window of the tower.  The entire third floor of the home has stained glass in every window with many windows on the upper floors being oval.  The property is 2.2 acres which has a two-story barn and a two-seater brick outhouse with a window.  

Bordering the house is a wrought iron fence.  The interior of the home features woodworking which incorporates chestnut, elm, oak and cherry throughout the house.  The ten-foot ceilings beautify the wood staircase and window sills.  Inside the home is a formal dining room, eight bedrooms, living room, parlor, breakfast room, foyer, main hallway,  full basement and attic and 3 1/2 baths.  The interior wooden doors of the mansion have etched glass in them.  It is considered one of Lancaster County's grandest buildings.  But, even with all I just listed, the most striking parts of the house are the gabled roof and pointed turret.  The Victorian castle is one of the most beautiful homes in Lancaster County.  If you care to visit the home you will find it at 1300 Brenneman Road, Conestoga, PA 17516.  The home was in the Mellinger family until 1985 when Luella Mellinger sold the house to Lawrence and Deborah Palumbo for $161,000.  Miss Luella was the head teacher at Central Manor Elementary School in the Penn Manor School District.  Luella lived in the ornate Victorian home with her sister, Mildred, long after their parents were gone.  Luella and her sister were the first in Southern Lancaster to have a television set.  Luella was often seen working in the garden and cleaning out the chicken house.  After Mildred died, Luella sold the home and moved to St. Anne's Village which is closer to the city of Lancaster.  She created a fund that later endowed three student scholarships as well as support for high school theater and band programs at the nearby Penn Manor School District.  The more I read about the family the more I grew to know them.  Seems that Luella's father David had no real career, but managed money made by his brother, Henry, a respected local doctor.  Dr. Mellinger had an "exceptionally successful practice over a 12-mile radius,  After 40 years in the field, he was still praised for responding with alacrity to the summons of his patients."  Today, the property at 1300 Brenneman Rd. is listed at 2.1 acres, with a second residence and two-detached structures.  The second residence is listed as a carriage house with in-law quarters and was built in 1910.  A shed that still stands was added in 1975.  The property was sold in 2007 to Waste Management for $599,000 to save it from condemnation.  Part of the property will be used for landfill space in the future.  Then in 2009, what was not planned for landfill space, was sold for $535,000 to Virginia Thomas.  Thomas restores antique dolls that were made around the same time that her "new" home was built.  She at one time thought of turning the home into a wedding venue, but now has decided to downsize a bit.  She is now searching for answers to a few questions she has about her home at 1300 Brenneman Road.  She is wondering if the large storage areas in the basement might have been for "good horses."  As for me...I'm beginning a search through Lancaster Newspaper's archives to see what I might find out about the beautiful property at 1300 Brenneman Road!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.