History
The history of Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm begins in the mid 1760’s when the Depper (also spelled “Zepper”) family left their home in the Palatinate region of Germany to begin a new life in America. They sailed from Rotterdam to Philadelphia on the English ship The Betsy, arriving in 1765. They made their way north looking for land that they could farm, and settled in Hamilton Township near modern-day Stroudsburg, likely by 1770.
The Depper descendants lived on the farm for five generations and nearly 150 years. In 1780 the Depper’s only child, Katherine, married Johann Ludwig Meyer. Meyer was a mercenary who served in a Hessian regiment for the British Army during the Revolutionary War. Katherine and Johann passed the farm to their son John Simon Meyer who was a carpenter and farmer by trade. He, in turn passed it to his daughter, Hannah, and her husband, Peter Marsh. Their son Horace and his wife, Emma, lived on the farm until it was sold outside the family to Thomas and Anna Hess in 1913.
In addition to farming, during the Great Depression, Anna Hess ran a summer bed and breakfast catering to people looking to escape the heat of the city. (They named the site “Spring Run Farm”). Although much of the country was quickly modernizing homes with indoor plumbing and electricity, Thomas Hess did not make any 20th-century upgrades to the farmhouse and much of it remained the same as it was during the late 1700s and early 1800s. In 1958, shortly after Thomas Hess died, the property was sold to Alice and Wendell Wicks.
At first, the Wicks intended to develop the property, but soon realized the historical and cultural significance of the site as little modernization had occurred and many historic artifacts and furnishings were still in place. They, along with their daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Gary Oiler, reconditioned the original farmhouse and 1850s barn. On July 13th 1963, Quiet Valley Farm Museum was opened to the public.
Since 1974 Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm has been owned and operated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational corporation governed by a board of directors. Until her retirement in 2001 at the age of 85, Alice Wicks remained actively involved in the management of the museum. Sue and Gary Oiler remained farm managers until their retirement in 2005. Today the farm is open Tuesday through Sunday throughout the summer and for special events throughout the year. These include our major fundraisers of Farm Animal Frolic, Pocono State Craft Festival, Harvest Festival and Old Time Christmas. We host thousands of school- aged children throughout the school year and thousands of domestic and international visitors throughout the summer.
At Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm we strive to educate, engage, and inspire our visitors as we interpret the culture of 19th century farm families, helping them better understand the past and the way it connects with the present and the future.