of
Tri-Dale Farm
Tri-Dale Farm dates back to 1834. Hiram Deats
began acquiring small areas of land that eventually became the
Samuel C. Stevenson Farm.
Samuel Stevenson was a descendant of John Stevenson. John
Stevenson was one of the original people who helped start a
Friends Meeting House in Quakertown in 1733.
A major piece of agricultural history occurred on the area that is
now Tri-Dale Farm. Hiram Deats began to manufacture the Deats
plow at a site close to the southwest area of the present day
barn. A foundry for casting plows was built in 1836 and casting
stoves were added in 1841. In 1859 the foundry was moved to
Pittstown.
The area around Tri-Dale Farm has changed over the years. In 1847
there was actually a school in the meadow.
Charles took took over the farm land when Samuel C. Stevenson died
in 1892. Charles married a daughter of Samuel Stevenson's widow
by her first husband. Charles was killed in the autumn of 1921
when he fell from a load of sheaves. The accident happened on the
hill in front of the current farm house.
Charles Allen's widow, Mary, and her second husband, Charles
Rinkert, sold the farm to August and Caroline Knispel, on July 14,
1928. At that time the farm consisted of 90.5 acres. In 1949
47.1 acres east of Sidney Road was added to the farm. Due to
change in the shape of the road and through the purchase of
additional lots the farm increased 6.57 acres by 1956.
August W. Knispel became the sole owner of the farm with the death
of his father in 1962.
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