Changes planned at historic home

GIRARD —  A home that once stood as an example of how well-to-do area families lived is getting some much needed care, and rooms added that were taken away during years of neglect.

Members of the Girard Historical Society are going forward with plans to add a summer kitchen and side porch to the historic Barnhisel House on North State Street. Both rooms were part of the home’s original construction. The additions to the house will cost about $55,000.

“A summer kitchen is where the family would have done all their dirty work, such as canning, butchering, candle-making and cooking in the summer, to keep the heat out of the rest of the house,” said Colette Chuey of the historical society.