The period from 1840 to 1880 was one of steady growth in the
county. Construction was influenced by the development of roads
through the area, particularly the Glades Road, the Pennsylvania
Road, and the smaller toll roads. These roads brought into the
district people who required buildings, the artisans to build
them, and some of the materials needed for their construction.
Most importantly, traffic on these roads produced the wealth
needed to build houses, barns, and taverns, and brought contact
with cultural sources east of the Alleghenies. Agriculturalists
prospered during this period, as seen in the handsome brick
farmhouses and large barns they erected. A specific design of
banked, center-hall plan brick house with double porches became
a fixture at the finest families of Brothersvalley Township.
Photographs of one of these homes is reproduced below. This
design was executed in wood in many locations in Somerset and
Stonycreek Townships. Eleven examples of the brick home of this
design were identified T