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Upper St. Clair’s Gilfillan Farm decked out for holidays

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read
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Just the proverbial stone’s throw away from South Hills Village, Siena at St. Clair and other suburban strongholds is one rural holdout: Gilfillan Farm.

“The most interesting part to me is when I show it, how many people say they drive by it every day or they live in Upper St. Clair and they actually don’t even really know it’s here,” Anna Jasim said. “You can still come here and have this little peaceful nook.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

The original Gilfillan Farm owners built the house in 1855.

She is director of catering for Atria’s Handcrafted Catering, which has an exclusive partnership with the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair, owner of the farm, for events on the grounds and inside the century-and-a-half-old main house.

“We can do anything here, from wedding receptions to graduations to kids’ birthday parties and fundraisers,” Jasim said.

Next on the calendar is High Tea, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 2 and featuring a variety of savory and sweet hors d’ouvres, including sandwiches, scones and stilton crisps.

And already on the calendar is the fourth annual Barnyard Beer Benefit, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The event, which raises money toward the farm’s preservation, has sold out each year since its debut.

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

High Tea is scheduled for Dec. 2.

Jasim and members of her crew were on hand during the recent Symphony Splendor Holiday Home Tour, which had Gilfillan Farm as one of its stops. Visitors were able to sample Atria’s fare while seeing the farmhouse decorated for the holidays.

“The house was built in 1855, so our goal for all of the holiday decorations this year was the late 1800s time period, very Victorianesque,” Rachel Carlson, historical society president, said.

Leading up to Christmas, tours of the farm can be scheduled by appointment, she said, and there still is time to book special events.

The historical society is working toward raising $450,000 for preservation and restoration projects in the next three years in alignment with a master plan for Gilfillan Farm developed in 2017 and supported by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

A grant from the Allegheny Foundation is going toward a $98,000 overhaul of the farm’s smokehouse, with the project expected to wrap up in the spring.

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

‘Tis the season at Gilfillan Farm.

“Our next one is probably going to be the summer kitchen. That project is estimated to cost $120,000,” Carlson said. “So we are definitely in the need of community support to be able to make that happen and to preserve this property.”

Further projects include upgrades to other buildings, including the main barn and tractor barn, springhouse, outhouse and the farmhouse, itself, all with the vision of maintaining the property as an example of 1800s farm life in Western Pennsylvania.

Gilfillan Farm’s 15 acres, the remaining portion of the 135 acres purchased in 1849 by John and Eleanor Ewing Gilfillan, and its buildings were designated as a National Historic Place in 1979. When Margaret Gilfillan, the last direct descendant of John and Eleanor, died at age 100 in 2001, she deeded the property to the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair to be used as a community resource.

For more information, visit gilfillanfarm.org.

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

A poinsettia brightens the kitchen.

Gilfillan Farm, when Upper St. Clair was much less developed

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