Going Down Memory Lane
Betsy Scarlett runs past the foundations of her ancestors' farms along Tissue Lane, in this photograph taken in the 1950's, after Edgar Kaufmann, Sr., had purchased the property. (Photo courtesy of Bill Scarlett.)
Around 1870, Ross Tissue and his brother Peter came to Bear Run, near Mill Run, Fayette County, from nearby Somerset County. Ross built a farmhouse and a barn, and Peter built his home in sight of his brother's. Like many farming families, Peter's sons later established their own farms along what we now call Tissue Lane, adjacent to Fallingwater.. The original farmhouse and barn still stand – as part of our new Barn at Fallingwater facility where a new exhibit, “A Fallingwater Homecoming,” is now on display. Betsy's father, Bill Scarlett, and his sister, the late Margaret Taylor, share their memories of growing up on the Tissue family farm in this exhibit. “When I was 12, I used to do plowing by myself,” said Bill. “It was rather steep, but we used horses. We raised wheat, oats, corn, buckwheat, and of course, hay. Back then you had hogs, chickens, milk cows, and the horses.” Good water was critical to a good farm, Margaret pointed out. “ My grandfather had a well on the north side of his house with the best water in the mountains, and lots of it. We used to pump the water with a hand pump. It would flow down through the overflow and go down into the house into a trough. My mother and grandmother used to set milk and things in the water to keep them cool.”
“A Fallingwater Homecoming” is now open through July 18, Tuesdays- Sundays, from 11am until 3pm. It's a great addition to your Fallingwater visit, and to a day of hiking at Bear Run.
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