Fate of house is unknown

By Micaiah Wise Bilger, Sentinel reporter, mwise@lewistownsentinel.com
MIFFLINTOWN — The fate of the Lockkeeper’s House that once guarded the Lewistown Narrows is a mystery to the Juniata County Commissioners.

Terry Wheeler, from the Juniata County Historical Society, addressed the commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday to ask about the house.

“I’ve had questions from people on the street, e-mails, calls ... asking what happened to the Lock House,” he said.

Commissioner Chairman Jeffrey Zimmerman said the county has received no correspondence with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about the restoration of the house.

Commissioner Teresa O’Neal said she believed the Lockkeeper’s House project was the responsibility of local municipalities in connection with PennDOT rather than the county. Zimmerman said he heard the same thing.

Wheeler said he visited the Lockkeeper’s House last week and saw people working on restorations.

People want to know what is being done with the landmark, he said. The historical society is not connected with the project, he added.

Zimmerman said the commissioners will look into the project.

“... It’s something we need to pursue ... to find out the rest of the story. The Lock House always was an item of interest,” Zimmerman said.

Wheeler also said a community development block grant may be available for the project.

Both commissioners told Wheeler that they would contact PennDOT and the Mifflin County Commissioners about the issue and provide an answer to him soon. Commissioner Dale Shelley was not present.

PennDOT spokeswoman Marla Fannin said the Lockkeeper’s House, along with a walkway and a boat access area, always have been part of the Narrows project.

Although the road is complete, these projects are still under construction, Fannin said. The department plans to complete the other projects by the end of the summer, she said.

When the work is done, the Lockkeeper’s House will be signed over to Juniata County government, she said.

“We do not yet have an official signed agreement,” Fannin said.

The road to the house — the former Route 322, now known as Township Road 533 — also is being repaved, she said. The road will be turned over to Fermanagh Township when it is complete, she said.

PennDOT is overseeing exterior restoration of the house, including new glazing on the windows and paint, Fannin said. The work is being completed “to ensure the integrity of the structure,” she said.

In other business, the commissioners:

¯ Approved the restoration of a painting of President Judge Louis E. Atkinson by Hartman Fine Art Conservation Services Inc. in the amount of $3,550.

The painting currently hangs behind the judge’s bench in the courthouse, Zimmerman said.

“It is in need of attention,” he said.

O’Neal said the commissioners noticed the need for restoration after the painting was damaged from a fall.

“We’re not aware of any cleaning or restoration of the painting,” she said.

Artist Jay Wilson painted the portrait circa 1881, Zimmerman said.

¯ Approved a grant amendment for Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency through the Criminal Justice Advisory Board.

The amendment is a budget revision as well as a continuation of grant expenditures, O’Neal said. The amendment allows the county to continue to use grant money that was left over, she said.

The Juniata County Commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. June 10 in the Bousum Building, Main Street, Mifflintown.