For many years, the farmhouse at Cherry Hill Township’s historic Barclay Farmstead was inaccessible to handicapped visitors.
But this is no longer the case thanks to a new handicapped-accessible walkway and virtual tour.
Barclay Farmstead now features a walkway accessible to all visitors. The township erected a graded walkway leading to the front door earlier this fall. On Nov. 2, the township also unveiled a new virtual tour, making the entire Barclay Farmstead available for view to all visitors for the first time.
The project took more than two years of planning. Megan Brown, Cherry Hill’s recreation department director, said the project falls in line with the township’s other initiatives to make buildings handicapped-accessible.
HAAG International of Mt. Laurel was the company in charge of the project. The planning stage took a long time because of the historic value of the property and the natural elevation. The township did not want to alter the surrounding area.
“They went to the property and looked at the elevations,” Brown said of HAAG International. “We just added it to the front of the house.”
Before moving forward with the project, the township had to go through the state’s historic preservation office, which asked for the house’s most important features to remain untouched. This included keeping the basement window wells visible. The township was able to create a walkway blending in with the house and surrounding ground, as well as keeping the windows visible.
Being able to make the handicapped entrance the same as the regular entrance was an important aspect to the project.
“Everyone is able to come in the same way,” Brown said.
Upon putting in the walkway, the company suggested adding a virtual tour to the property. Despite the first floor of the house now being handicapped-accessible, the second floor and basement are unable to be visited since the house lacks an elevator.
To allow the entire house to be seen for all visitors, the virtual tour was created.
”The virtual tour was something we always wanted to do,” Brown said.
Two laptops are programmed with pictures of the entire house. Visitors can view each part of the normal tour on the computer. Important objects and points on the tour are marked with fact boxes.
“You can stand in any room and get a full 360-degree view,” Brown said.
All the images on the tour are in high-definition. The laptops are touch-screen and easy to navigate for the most novice computer users.
The entire project was paid for through a Camden County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund Grant and a Community Development Block Grant. The total cost of the project was $80,000. HAAG International donated the virtual tour to the township.
Barclay Farmstead’s first Sunday tours have wrapped up for the season, but the house is open for tours on Wednesday through the end of November. The farmstead is also hosting its annual Holiday House from Nov. 21 through 23.
