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Bentworth Art Teacher Captures the Beauty of the Brownlee House


Brownlee house painting
The Brownlee House portrait painted by Jessica Burkley.

Eighty Four, PA – At its recent Brownlee Yuletide holiday open house, the Washington County Community Foundation (WCCF) unveiled a specially commissioned painting of the historic Samuel T. Brownlee House in Eighty Four, PA.

The stylized house portrait, by Bentworth Middle School art teacher Jessica Burkley (right), features the stately Georgian structure at twilight, fully adorned for the holiday season. WCCF Vice Chairman Michael S. Anderson (left) assisted with the reveal.

Built in 1848, the Samuel T. Brownlee House is home to the WCCF, the largest publicly-supported grant-making foundation in Washington County. The building was donated to the Foundation in December 2013 by William and Saundra Stout. In the years that followed, many members of the Washington County community generously supported an extensive rehabilitation project that transformed the building into what one local historian has referred to as “a jewel in the historic preservation crown of Washington County.”

The winter scene is the first painting of a four-part series by Burkley that will showcase the Brownlee House during each of the seasons.

Built in 1848, the Samuel T. Brownlee House is home to the WCCF, the largest publicly-supported grant-making foundation in Washington County. The building was donated to the Foundation in December 2013 by William and Saundra Stout. In the years that followed, many members of the Washington County community generously supported an extensive rehabilitation project that transformed the building into what one local historian has referred to as “a jewel in the historic preservation crown of Washington County.”

The winter scene is the first painting of a four-part series by Burkley that will showcase the Brownlee House during each of the seasons.