The Victorian period, taking in roughly the second half of the 19th century, was another period of significant change in rural Pennsylvania. During this period, the state was still an important agricultural region, but the development of new farming areas in the West and the emergence of urban industry in the East reduced the relative importance of agriculture to the state’s economy. Consequently, farmers shifted to other crops and livestock, particularly tobacco, vegetables, and dairy cattle. The traditional crops of grain and corn were still grown, but they were no longer the source of profits they once were.
The Victorian period brought many changes to domestic life in America. New construction techniques coupled with new ideas about style produced houses quite different from those of previous periods. Industrial technology and new methods of distribution and merchandising resulted in a proliferation of mass-produced home furnishings including wallpaper, carpet, machine-made furniture, kerosene lamps, bric-a-brac of all sorts, and numerous other objects. Mass production helped in household chores as well, with the availability of more efficient and versatile cook stoves, mason jars for home canning, mechanical apple peelers and other kitchen gadgets, washing machines, ice boxes, and other labor-saving devices.
The Landis House exemplifies the Pennsylvania farm house of this period. It was built in 1870, one of the great many farm houses built in the decade following the Civil War. The Landis House was the home of Henry and Emma Landis, parents of LVM’s founders. While not strictly farmers, the Landises were country people and their home is representative of the homes of farmers and country people of the Victorian period.
