President's House (Buckalew Place)
Buckalew Place as it looked in 1960.
The continuous residence of Bloomsburg University presidents since 1922, Buckalew Place was built in 1860 and was the former home of Charles Rollin Buckalew (1821-1899). Buckalew was a native of Columbia County and served his state and country in many capacities, including state senator, U.S. minister to Ecuador, U.S. senator, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Following his death the home and grounds were purchased for $6000 by the Bloomsburg State Normal School in 1903 to serve as the home of the head of the school. It was thoroughly remodeled, with the first occupant Principal Judson Welsh in 1904, followed by David Waller, Jr. in 1906. When Waller decided to move back to his family's home at Fifth and Market in 1910 the house was rented out for the next 12 years. After another remodeling job in 1922 Principal Charles Fisher moved in and Buckalew Place became the official presidential residence from that point on. It has been worked on and modernized many more times over the past century, the latest being an addition in 2004 that increased the size of the home to 5500 square feet.