The "Keeping The Witmer Tavern Authentic" Story

Benjamin Witmer's Tavern as it looks today.

It was an ordinary day.  Looking once again at Benjamin Witmer's Tavern on the Old Philadel- phia Pike in eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  It was a little over a year ago that my wife and I stopped at the tavern to take a few photos showing what looked like a piece of history that would soon be demolished.  

What it looked like years ago when it was a
Bed & Breakfast as well as a tavern.

The place was falling apart and one of the out-buildings had been hit by a plane a year ago.  It was nearly 300 years ago that Benjamin Witmer built his namesake tavern on what at the time was known as Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike.  In 1773 he enlarged the oldest part of the 2 1/2 story blue limestone tavern due to a booming business along the crushed stone highway.  

What it looked like last year when it had a blue tarp over the roof.

The 4,700-square-foot Witmer Tavern continued to operate as an inn through the mid-2000s before the building went into foreclosure in 2009 and fell into a period of neglect.  When Carol and I stopped a year ago there was a blue tarp on the roof to try and keep water from reaching the interior.  Eventually the insulation became soaked and began to rot as did some of the ceiling joists.  

Sign along the old Philadelphia-Lancaster
Turnpike.  Click to enlarge.

Then along came Mr. Gene Aleci who is an architect that specializes in historic preservation.  He estimated it would cost between 600 and 800 thousand dollars to restore the building.  Who would pay more that half a million for a house that's in such a condition on a small lot?  Along came a gentleman named Caleb Ringelberg who made a low-ball offer of $72,000.  He eventually raised his offer $20,000 and is now beginning to restore the place.  A new roof was installed and with Caleb doing most of the work himself, he hopes to keep the cost below $200,000.  Mr. Ringelberg studied HVAC engineering technology at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan and now manages a firm that does energy saving retrofits at schools and state buildings in Harrisburg, PA.  

One of my altered Polaroid prints I offer for sale. I took
this close to 20 years ago when you could buy Polaroid film.
It was still open at the time as a bed and breakfast.

He hopes to be living on a third-floor suite by the fall.  East Lampeter Township in Lancaster County doesn't have any special requirements for working on historic properties, but Caleb is trying to keep the tavern authentic to its time period.  Mr. Aleci recently tour the property and approved of the work that Ringelberg has been doing on the tavern.  Hopefully the building will return to the glory years when it was first opened on the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike.  I would love to visit it and take a few more photos to share with you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.