Ok.. I’d never heard of it either.  Turns out that Pennsylvania is famous for more than just Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  We’re also famous for a lovely softish stone that:

• when polished, can take on the beauty of marble
• is soft enough to be decoratively carved
• is heavy enough to be used as a fireplace mantle (hint, hint)
• is porous enough to hold a light stain
• makes a mighty tough “flagstone” that can be used for paving

Turns out that 1234 Reed has not one but two, count ‘em, two fireplace-like objects made from Pennsylvania Bluestone.   According to local lore each area house with the “bluestone fireplace” has unique carvings in the face of the mantle.  The mantles were then gently stained by hand using different colors to highlight the carvings.  Later - probably several times in the mid and late 1900’s - the mantles were painted over with lead and oil based paints that destroyed the original stain, but protected the stone very nicely.  You can see the carvings, as well as the “before and after” as I chemically remove the three or four layers of paint and stain.

 

The original mantle assembly was put in place to surround the outlet of the original heat in the home - convective hot air.  There were never original “fireplaces.”  Instead there was a coal-fired furnace that heated air by convection which lofted up a brick and tin chase and naturally flowed out of a grate or outlet in the middle of the mantle.  Later, when the newfangled radiators were installed, the convective hot air grates were sealed off.

One more pic, below, of the whole kit-and-kaboodle mid-paint-removal.  Note the lovely wallpaper we found behind the mirror above the fireplace.