While researching Lancaster County’s trolley service, a repeatedly referenced resource was Seeing Lancaster County from a Trolley Window. The book, published in 1910, provided a first-hand account of riding the various trolley lines that radiated from Lancaster City to the seven corners of the County.
The publication served half as a promotional puff piece for the Lancaster area and half as a historical overview of the history and local architecture. Towns profiled include Manheim, Lititz, Ephrata, Adamstown, Terre Hill, Quarryville, Lancaster, and Pequea.
Being a firm believer that “information wants to be free,” I have embedded the document here for your educational enjoyment.
Seeing Lancaster County From a Trolley Window
Seeing Lancaster County From a Trolley Window
Pequehanna Inn
Towards the end of the book (see pages 88 and 89), something grabbed my attention. It was a two-page prospectus for the “Pequehanna Inn.” It boasted that the 384 room hotel would be the largest “inn” in the United States and possess the most elegant dining room in the state. However, what I found most fascinating was the location of the “magnificent structure”—a five-minute walk from the Pequea Railroad Station.
If I interpreted the advertisement correctly, this super luxurious hotel was to be the crown jewel of an ambitious plan to transform Pequea into the “Lake Placid of Pennsylvania.”
I wanted to know more. It is a fantastic story of what could have been. Click here to see what I discovered.