It was a rare opportunity, a true sneak peek, if you were able to take advantage of it.

One of Mahanoy City’s most intriguing homes, the 1908 John Zincak Smith Mansion, opened doors to the public for three hours to help jump-start the town’s December holiday season.

The tour was offered free of charge and allowed visitors access to all three floors and two sets of staircases.

As a result, 400 excited guests lined up along the South Main Street sidewalk to satisfy their curiosity.

Visitors said it was a special treat because the mansion had not been open to the public in years.

In fact, most were seeing it for the first time.

“It was great,” said Betty Ann Chescattie of Barnesville. “Felt like I was stepping back in time and seeing the history of a prominent family.”

Another expressed admiration for the elaborate interior trim, including chamfered beam ceilings.

“What a find in Mahanoy City. The woodwork was absolutely amazing,” said Diane Kenesky Derr of Tamaqua. “The history of the family was just as interesting as the building and decor.”

Some expressed comments on Facebook.

“It was a great night. I’ve waited 50-plus years to see this beautiful mansion,” wrote Sue Anceravige Morrison, Hometown.

Show of success

The 1908 John Zincak Smith Mansion tells a story of Mahanoy City’s glory days and the rewards of one immigrant’s work ethic.

Smith was a foreign banker, bank director and merchant.

“Beginning life at the lowest rung of the ladder, he has steadily scaled to the top until today. He is among our leading businessmen and financiers,” stated the Mahanoy City Semi-Centennial book of 1913.

Smith was a Rusyn immigrant who left Carpathian Ruthenia with five dollars in his pocket. But he amassed enough money in America to build the 14-room showcase home overlooking the Schuylkill County downtown.

The mansion, it appears, was meant to demonstrate his success.

“It was a place made to be shown,” said Michael Cheslock, co-owner with Gary Senavites.

Smith family descendants occupied the dwelling until the 1970s.

Afterward, a succession of owners followed and the mansion suffered neglect, eventually losing much of its luster.

By 1986, it went up for sale, needing considerable work.

Cheslock and Senavites bought the place and embarked on a 40-year mission to restore its grandeur.

Along the way, the two occasionally allowed visitors inside for a peek.

“Back in the 1990s, the Chamber of Commerce conducted tours,” Cheslock said. “At the 1993 Christmas tour we had 1,200 people come through in one day.”

In the following years, the owners focused their energies on completing the restoration.

But when asked earlier this year by the community to open doors to the home, the owners agreed.

And they chose to do it gratis. No tickets needed. No donation boxes. Nothing required at all. Simply walk in and say hello.

The owners’ friends volunteered to serve as greeters and tour guides, taking guests on a visit to all three floors.

The act of generosity by Cheslock and Senavites was a tribute to the proud history of Mahanoy City and a show of support to those working to make the community the best it can be.