Shelter House

Shelter House is a historic home located at Emmaus, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, believed to be the oldest continuously occupied structure in the Lehigh Valley, as well as the oldest building in Emmaus.

The first floor was built around 1734 and in 1741, a three-room second story and a two-story annex were added. The house was built by early Pennsylvania German settlers, and is a medieval-type Germanic log house, made out of oak and chestnut, measuring approximately 40 feet by 25 feet. Mud, straw, and horse hair were used as the filling, or "chinking," in between the gaps in the log walls, providing protection and insulation from outside elements. It has a gable roof and large, square stone chimney. The Shelter House got its name from the German word "zufluchtshaus," meaning "house of refuge or shelter." The House is situated in a clearing of woods along a well-traveled Indian path and often served as a stopover for travelers. The house was inhabited when conflicts in the area could have been with the British or the Native Americans. Many years later after the founding of Emmaus, the House became a sort of hostel, a tavern where the wayfarer could find lodging, food, and drink.

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