CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — After more than a decade of planning, the Historic Junkin House, built in 1747 and one of Silver Spring Township's oldest buildings, has been moved to its new location.
"We've been waiting 12 years to have this done, thank goodness it has finally happened," said Rich Schoaff, a trustee with the Cumberland Valley Preservation Society at Silver Spring Township.
People involved with the project say the feat took years of determination.
"It takes a lot of courage, you just got to keep at it," said Dennis Hrzic, president of Cumberland Valley Preservation Society at Silver Spring. "A lot of sleepless nights, a lot of worry about paying for this, but in the end just seeing the house, know[ing] it's not going anywhere, it's safe, it makes me smile."
In its original location, the Junkin House sat too close to the North Locust Point Road on the property of a nearby trucking company and was at risk of being torn down.
The historic building was moved 200 feet, farther back from the road, to a safe piece of land owned by the Cumberland Valley Preservation Society.
The Junkin House's relocation brought a rush of emotion to people watching the big move.
"I was kind of apprehensive about them telling me they're going to lift it 5 feet off the ground, said Hrzic."When it actually started to move, I thought it was going really well, because an old stone house at 250 years old, you never know what's going to happen."
The Preservation Society says it took an entire community's effort to get the move done.
"This takes a lot of people, a lot of moving parts," said Hrzic. "If it wouldn't have been for them, it wouldn't have ever happened."
They add that the huge task was worth all the hard work to preserve the area's history.
"It's something that this township, this county, really is a good part for them because this is their beginnings," said Hrzic.
"History is the most important thing in your life because if you lose it, it'll never come back, it's just a memory," said Shoaff.
After the home is set in its foundation, the Preservation Society plans to restore and turn it into a public museum that they hope can inspire the community's next generation.
"If we have some people that can show interest and bring the school kids here, maybe we can get a bunch of them really become interested in the history and the heritage of this area," said Hrzic. "Because if you don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going."