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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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When the kitchen microwave broke in their 150-year-old Pennsylvania farmstead, Mark and Ashley uncovered far more than just a space for a replacement appliance: they found a hidden staircase.
The Lancaster County couple, who have been married for more than 12 years and serve as foster-adoptive parents for the past eight, purchased the 1868 property after tracking it online. "Ashley is a Zillow stalker," Mark told Newsweek. "She found the farmhouse on Zillow and watched it for months. When the price started becoming more...reasonable, we reached out to our realtor about the potential."
The fact that the farmstead was located less than 10 miles from their previous home made the decision to move easier for the family.
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"Our roots are in this area," Mark said. "It was the same school district, which was important for the kids in our home at the time. We weren't looking to move, but open doors allowed us to."
The historic farmstead nearly met a different fate before they bought it. "We found out after the fact that the initial plan was to tear it down and make it part of a development project," Ashley said. "Thank goodness for wetlands and bog turtles...that didn't happen."
Uncovering the Property's Past
While the home was move-in ready to meet foster care standards, the couple has undertaken extensive maintenance while learning about the property's agricultural history.
"We know that it was a working farm at one point," Ashley said. "Based on the buildings that have disappeared from the property, we think they had chickens, goats and maybe cattle. We would love to know more."
Upgrades have included wood siding replacements, chimney repointing, and improved insulation alongside cosmetic challenges. "We have had to do major upgrades, such as upgrading the wood siding, repointing chimneys and improving insulation," Mark said. "There are smaller projects too, like a burlap bathroom that is an eyesore for Ashley. But with the plaster, it would be a huge project, and we want to be good stewards of our finances."
Property exploration has yielded unusual artifacts, including a double-seated outhouse, historical barn mail, an outdoor kitchen, an underground workshop, an overgrown building, and attic sausage casings.
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The Hidden Staircase Discovery
The most unexpected find occurred when the kitchen microwave broke. Upon removing the unit, the couple uncovered the home's mysterious architectural feature.
"We learned of its existence shortly after we moved in," Ashley said. "One of our HVAC units broke, and the repair team discovered there was an outlet and a set of stairs back there. Neither of us had actually seen the stairs until the microwave died and Mark pulled it out."
While the exact purpose of the stairs remains unclear, Mark has formed a working theory, but admitted, "We have no idea why they're there."
"Ashley is hoping to work up the courage to fight the spiders on Friday and take a full look. They appear to end behind our kitchen counter. They go up to one of the kids' bedrooms. There's an access door there that's locked with a skeleton key. That space used to have some sort of unit in it," he added.
Full exploration of the mystery is currently on hold as the couple balances home renovations with parenting.
"We are tripping and falling through life together in parenting, marriage, adulting and owning a really unique property with a story we are uncovering daily," Ashley said.
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Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Rebecca Flood and Anthony Murray.
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