The Brownlee House Building Fund is a short-term fund created by the WCCF to provide for the expenses related to the historic Samuel Brownlee House located at 1253 Brownlee Road (State Route 519) in Eighty Four, PA. The House was generously donated by William and Saundra Stout in 2013. The gift, which includes some furnishings and the gas and mineral rights, is valued at more than $400,000. The House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Foundation is working over the long-term to build an endowment to care for the building in perpetuity.
Much more than an attractive building, the house has a fascinating story. The Brownlee family emigrated from Scotland to Washington County in the 1780s. Samuel T. Brownlee was born on the family farm in 1827. At only 21 years of age, he commissioned the construction of the two-and one-half story, five-bay, brick house on the farm in 1848 as a wedding gift to his wife.
The Stouts purchased the property from Mr. and Mrs. Charles Miller in 1986 and used it as the headquarters of their company, Atlas Railroad Construction Company, until the business was sold in 2010.
“What we've made of our lives, we did locally, so the Washington County community has always been close to our hearts. A few years ago, we turned to the WCCF to help us create funds to support our favorite charitable causes. That experience taught us the value of the Foundation's services. It is our hope that through this gift, the Foundation can help us to ensure the preservation of this historic treasure for the benefit of the entire community,” the Stouts remarked.