The History of the House

the snyder family

The lot for The Painted Petal was first cleared in 1908 by George C. Snyder, after he purchased the land from his neighbor, the very well known George Mosser, who owned the Mosser Mansion just a few hundred yards away. The home was completed some time during 1910.

George Snyder was a lumber merchant, utilizing a portable lumber mill to harvest wood from around the Lehigh Valley. In our case, he chose to construct the entire house and the outbuildings from American Chestnut. This made for jaw-dropping woodwork, doors, and trim throughout the home that was both unusually opulent and incredibly beautiful. Most of the lumber used to build the home was milled onsite, as the garage workshop had a water-powered saw, lathe, and everything a woodworker needed to craft an exquisite work of art like The Painted Petal.

George Snyder was born in Heidelberg Township (nearby) and was very active in both Trexlertown and Lehigh Valley life, having had a career not only in lumber and woodworking, but also as a janitor (caretaker) at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown. His father was also a well known woodworker in Lehigh County in the late 19th century. 

Ellen Cora Brobst was born in nearby Lynn Township, and was married to George. She must have played a big role in the design and decoration of the home. Together they had 4 children, Florence, Hallie, Harold, and Ernest. She was a talented gardener and consistently won prizes for her flowers, fruits, and pies. This explains the elaborate dumbwaiter that was installed in the house, transporting her creations to and from the kitchen to the food cellar below.

Cora’s mother, Carolina Fenstermacher, also lived with the Snyders in the home. She resided in the first floor bedroom. Carolina was born in Germany, and like many German immigrants of that era, spoke her native tongue throughout her life. She passed away in the home in 1933.

Tragically, George and Cora’s eldest daughter Florence died just before her 10th birthday on the property. While a cause of death was really never identified, newspaper articles at the time attributed it to a very sudden sickness followed by convulsions. From today’s perspective, this sounds like it may have been an allergic reaction of some kind. Perhaps to an unknown food allergy or even a bee sting.

Subsequent articles and mentions in the local paper painted a picture of a very social family, with many parties and gatherings making headlines over the years. 

Cora passed away in the home in 1952, and George following after in 1956. This ended the ownership of the home by the Snyder family. It was sold to the Dengler family shortly after, who were cousins of the Snyders.

the dengler family

In 1956, the home was purchased by the Dengler Family. With equally deep roots in Upper Macungie and Lehigh County, they maintained ownership of the home through 2 generations up until 2022 with the death of its last resident, Mr. Ray Dengler.