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<p>A colonial-style home that once stood on Carey Avenue near the boundary of Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township was used as a stage coach stop and was once considered one of the oldest homes in the area.</p><p>Construction of the house began 25 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, making it 209 years old when it was razed in 1960. When the house was demolished to make way for a parking lot for a furniture store, the house was still being serviced with water by its original well.</p><p>&#8220;A colonial home, located at 647 Carey Ave., is considered by its owner to be the oldest house in the Wyoming Valley as part of its construction began in 1751. Remainder of the dwelling was added in 1791 as were a stable and a greenhouse,&#8221; the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reported Sept. 5, 1960.</p><p>Prior to trains carrying passengers, the house was used as a stage coach stop between Philadelphia, Easton and Binghamton and Buffalo, N.Y.</p><p>&#8220;The land and home were first developed by Lt. and Mrs. Miller Horton, after whom Horton Street was named. The Hortons occupied the dwelling and in 1791 the main section of the home was enlarged and other buildings added,&#8221; the Times Leader reported when the house was razed.</p><p>Miller Horton was the owner of a stage coach business that carried passengers by horse buggy between Philadelphia and Buffalo, N.Y., with stops at his farm on Carey Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, and another farm he owned in Tunkhannock.</p><p>The house was situated in a section that was once called Carreytown during the 1800s. Carreytown was a large farm that existed between today&#8217;s Carey Avenue and the Susquehanna River.</p><p>&#8220;The two-story home of plank construction, reinforced with brick, has 15 rooms and three bathrooms,&#8221; the Times Leader reported.</p><p>Each room had a fireplace connected to a 15-by-15-foot central chimney, wooden pegs were used instead of nails, and the garden continued to grow rose bushes imported from Jerusalem in the 1850s.</p><p>&#8220;During the course of history, boundary markers between Wilkes-Barre City and Hanover Township were established and the line runs almost through the building. Most of the property is located in the township and taxes are paid there,&#8221; the Times Leader reported.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Remindful of Revolutionary days&#8217;</strong></p><p>The farm and property were divided and sold during the 1800s.</p><p>The colonial house and 5 acres were purchased by Frank Deutsch, owner of the Spinning Wheel Restaurant, in 1944, according to the Times Leader.</p><p>&#8220;The Deutsches remodeled the home into a beautiful residence retaining as much as possible its antiquity. It still is remindful of Revolutionary days. The door knocker still retains the date 1791,&#8221; the Wilkes-Barre Evening News reported Sept. 1, 1960.</p><p>Deutsch divided the 5 acres into individual plots he sold separately, including the colonial house where he and his wife lived.</p><p>Individual plots were sold to John Wilkes, who opened Wilkes Furniture and the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, which was known as the A&amp;P store.</p><p>Deutsch sold the colonial house in 1960 to make way for a parking lot to accommodate the two businesses. Deutsch and his wife relocated from the colonial home to an apartment above the Spinning Wheel, which was across the street.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">This home stood on Carey Avenue in Wilkes-Barre for more than 200 years before it was razed in 1960. It served as a stage coach stop and was once considered one of the oldest homes in the Wyoming Valley, according to previous news reports. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_Stage-Coach-house.jpg</photo0><caption0>This home stood on Carey Avenue in Wilkes-Barre for more than 200 years before it was razed in 1960. It served as a stage coach stop and was once considered one of the oldest homes in the Wyoming Valley, according to previous news reports. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Historic Look Back: Carey Avenue home demolished in 1960 once considered one of area’s oldest