Nutting Hall

Nutting Hall is a historic home located at Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1823-1825, and is a 2 1/2-story, five bay wide frame dwelling, with a 2 1/2-story rear ell and gable roof. The main house measure 40 feet by 60 feet and sits on a stone foundation.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The home at 205 South Tulpehocken Street, Pine Grove, PA is the property of Margery Wheeler Mattox, who restored it after it had been converted to rental apartments by the former owner. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1980, after restoration was completed.

Christopher Ley (1695-1745), the grandfather of the home’s first owner (Christian Ley, Sr.), came to America from the German Palatinate in 1732, and settled in what is now Myerstown. Christopher and his wife Barbara had nine children, one of whom was Michael (1739-1824). In 1769, at the age of thirty, Michael Ley built Tulpehocken Manor in Myerstown, which is on the National Register and is one of Lebanon County’s major historical landmarks. The Leys had ties with General Washington, who visited and stayed at their manor house three times between 1777 and 1794- once on a trip to inspect the Union Canal. Michael Ley held the rank of captain during the American Revolution. Captain Ley was married to Eva M. Lower (1744-1815), and their son Christian Ley (1762-1832), was 32 years old when Washington, as President, last visited their Lebanon County manor house.

Christian Ley was state representative for Lebanon and Dauphin Counties from 1799 to 1802. He came to Pine Grove and became associated with many prominent business men of the area- buying and selling large tracts of land. This home was built for Christian’s family by Peter Filbert between 1823 and 1825. Until the attic was converted to apartments, Mr. Filbert’s name and the 1825 date still appeared as written on the old, original plaster. Christian married Anna Catherine Koppenhoffer (1769-1822) and they had three children: Christian Jr., John and Catherine. Only two years after Christian Sr. died in 1832, his survivors lost the old Tulpehocken Manor to Jacob Loose in a sheriff’s sale for back taxes- and, in 1837, they also sold this home in Pine Grove to William Graeff, a tanner who came to Pine Grove around 1825 and opened a large general store. His wife Elizabeth had six children. One daughter, Barbara Ann, married James L. Nutting, and they inherited this home when Mr. Graeff died.

James Nutting (1818-1880) came to Pine Grove in 1847 from Maine, as an honor graduate of Law from Bowdoin College. At 24, he entered a firm in Portland, Maine, but turned to the teaching profession. After moving to Pine Grove, he taught in both public and private schools, served as school director, and also entered local coal and iron businesses. Nutting had a very large farm in nearby Brookside. He was planning to return to his law practice when he died unexpectedly at Nutting Hall in the early morning hours of June 25, 1880. He was so respected by the townspeople that the Press Herald devoted three columns to his passing. The present Press Herald staff gave Ms. Wheeler-Mattox a copy of that 1880 issue, which is on display at the house.

James and Barbara Nutting had three children, but only one, Annie, survived to adulthood. She married Richard Wigton in the home’s backyard, and, just as her mother, she was a sole survivor and inherited the house when Barbara died. The Wigtons had five children: Jeanette, Kathryn, Nutting, Elizabeth and Richard. Richard became the sole owner of the house until he died in 1952, thus marking the first time the home and property had left the family. Reuben and Anne Riggen bought and owned the home for ten years, then sold it to Glenn Schell in 1963. Margery Wheeler Mattox purchased it for restoration from Mr. Schell in 1974 and has remained there ever since.