Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 10: Built Environment

ZANDE HOUSE, 1917 – present

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TAGS: Zande House, Ethel de Long Zande, Luigi Zande, stonemasons, building inventories, Glyn Morris, Gladys Morris, H.R.S Benjamin, Dr. Tracy Jones, Florence Jones,  Ben and Pat Begley, Environmental Education directors, Dogwood Breakfasts, dogwoods,

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Zande House was named after its builder, owners and occupants, Ethel de Long Zande and Luigi Zande. The home was designed and constructed by Luigi Zande in 1917 on land given for the purpose of construction of the house for the couple. When Ethel del Long Zande died in 1928 the land reverted to the School and the house was sold to Pine Mountain.

When Zande married the School’s founder, Ethel de Long. Mr. Zande was an accomplished stonemason and builder and his work may be seen in this building and may also be found in other buildings on the campus, particularly in the Chapel.

An evaluation of the building was made in July of 1927:

In July of 1927 the value of Zande House was $3,142.00
repairs (1927-28)                                                     201.05
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TOTAL VALUE                                                       $3,343.05

Repairs included tub, etc.   = $73.88
ceiling, flooring, plumbing  = $33.30

Following the death of Ethel de Long Zande from cancer in 1928, the building was sold to the School by Luigi Zande to be used as a memorial to Ethel de Long Zande and to be used for the School at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The house was sold for a nominal sum as shown in this record, dated May 23, 1928:

ZANDE HOUSE: After the Zandes

Zande House was a favorite gathering location for the staff at the School. It became the annual site of the Dogwood Breakfast, a celebration of spring and a time when all staff workers at the School gathered on the west terrace of the building to enjoy a waffle breakfast. The long view westward, down the long valley which stretches out below the terrace, was framed in dogwood in early Spring, hence the “Dogwood Breakfast.” Evidence in the School record suggests that the annual Dogwood Breakfast was started by Angela Melville who briefly served as Director of the School following the death  of Ethel de Long in 1928. Melville invited all the staff to “…come see my dogwoods.” The hillside surrounding Zande House was noted for its large number of native dogwood trees. The native tree is now difficult to find on the campus for a recent dogwood blight has decimated the native species throughout the country.

In 1941, the inventory of buildings at Pine Mountain requested by the Glyn Morris, lists the Zande home and plantings and improvements as valued at $4834. Following the initial construction of Zande House, there have been subsequent remodels, particularly in 1983 when the interior was remodeled to bring the kitchen and some living areas up to date.

The National Historic Register Record prepared by Karen Hudson for the Pine Mountain Settlement School describes the Zande structure as a one-and-half-story stone veneer and frame building that is irregular in shape and height and exhibits some of the best stonework of the houses at the School. The stonework is a fine example of Luigi Zande’s stone masonry.

Part of the irregularity of the house-shape is found in the shed dormers of the roof-line. The upper-level framework is covered with shingles. The windows are of a casement type and the door has a bracketed hood. The original building had six rooms and a bath and other than the addition of another bathroom, the structure remains consistent with the original Zande design.

After PMSS acquired Zande House from Luigi Zande following Ethel del Long Zande’s death, it was used to house various directors of the School. It was the residence of Glyn Morris and his wife during the years he served as Director of Pine Mountain (1931-1941) and later was occupied in the 1940s by Director H.R.S. Benjamin. and his wife.

In the 1930s director Glyn Morris completed an inventory of “Equipment” at the School that included buildings. He noted then that the building contained 6 rooms and, speaking as an occupant, — was “comfortable.” Following Morris, other Directors lived in the building, including H.R.S. Benjamin and his wife and family.

In the 1950s the building was occupied by the physicians who headed the new Hospital installed in West Wind. Dr. Brown and  Dr. Tracy Jones and his wife Florence Jones and children, Barbara, Bronwynn, Mary, and Ruth lived in the building. Dr. Jones was appointed to head the new Hospital at PMSS housed next door at the West Wind building. Jones served on the staff at the School from 1952-1955.

Following the occupancy of staff associated with the West Wind Hospital, the building served as the residency of the director of the Environmental Educational Program. For almost twenty-six years Zande House was home for Ben Begley, director of the Environmental Education program, and his wife, Pat. The location of the structure, high on the mountain to the right above the Chapel, is cool in the Summer months and affords a long view to the West, down the valley.  The plants common to the North Side of Pine Mountain thrive in the location. In the 1990’s and early 2000s,  while Ben and Pat Begley were directing the Environmental Education programs at the School, they added many unique native plants to the gardens.  When they retired, the new Environmental Education Director, Susan Brown, lived in the building. Today, it is primarily used to house visitors and staff at the School.

In 2020 a new roof was installed and repairs and upgrades were made in furnishings in the building.

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ZANDE HOUSE: Gallery

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See Also:
ETHEL DE LONG ZANDE Biography
LUIGI ZANDE Biography

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Title	Zande House
Alt. Title	Zandes’ House
Identifier	ZANDE HOUSE
Creator	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY
Alt. Creator	Ethel de Long Zande ; Luigi Zande ;
Subject Keyword	Zande House ; Zandes’ House ; Ethel de Long Zande ; Luigi Zande ; stone masons ; Chapel ; remodeling ; Glyn Morris ; stone veneers ; frame buildings ; shed dormers ; shingles ; casement windows ; bracketed hoods ; directors’ housing ; Dr. Tracey Jones family ; Ben Begley ; Pat Begley ; Dogwood Breakfast ; spring celebration ; staff ; terraces ; waffle breakfasts ; Berto Zande ; Pine Mountain Settlement School ; Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ;
Subject LCSH	Zande House — Pine Mountain Settlement School (Pine Mountain, Ky.) — History. Architecture — Pine Mountain Settlement School. Pine Mountain Settlement School (Pine Mountain, Ky.) — History. Harlan County (Ky.) — History. Historic Buildings — Kentucky — Appalachia. Rural schools — Kentucky — History. Schools — Appalachian Region, Southern.
Date	2014-01-18
Publisher	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY
Contributor	n/a
Type	Collections ; text ; JPG images ;
Format	Original and copies of images, documents, and correspondence in file folders in filing cabinet
Source	Series 10: Built Environment (Physical Plant)
Language	English
Relation	Is related to: Pine Mountain Settlement School Collections, Series 10: Built Environment (Physical Plant) ; Kentucky Virtual Library collections <http://www.kyvl.org/> [searchable] Berea College Southern Appalachian Archives <http://www.berea.edu/library/Special/saarchives.html> Transylvania College Archives <http://www.transy.edu/libspcoll.html> Univ. of KY Appalachian Archives <http://libraries.uky.edu/libpage.php?lweb_id=84&llib_id=13> National Historic Landmarks Database <http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1756&ResourceType=District>
Coverage Temporal	1917 – present
Coverage Spatial	Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ;
Rights	Any display, publication, or public use must credit the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Donor	n/a
Description	Core documents, correspondence, writings, and administrative papers about Zande House; clippings, photographs, books about Zande House;
Acquisition	Constructed 1917
Citation	Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers, Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Processed By	Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt ;
Last Updated	2014-01-18 hw ; 2014-05-21 aae ; 2014-11-06 hhw ; 2017-10-21 hhw; 2020-03-18 hhw; 2021-06-02 hhw;
Bibliography	Sources Biography of Ethel de Long Zande. PMSS archives website. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers, Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource. Biography of Luigi Zande. PMSS archives website. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers, Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource. National Historic Landmarks Database <http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1756&ResourceType=District (accessed 2014-05-21). Internet resource. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Archival material.

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