It was an ordinary day. Reading about a place known as the Wheatland Hotel in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Opened Lancaster Newspaper's Archives and typed in Wheatland Hotel. Page after page of stories appeared that would have made a book the size of the Bible had I copied all of them for leisure reading. I tried to visually scan the majority of the stories and articles and printed out a few to help me with my story for today. In the May 21, 1902 edition of the Semi-Weekly New Era was a story titled "A Model Hotel Fast Nearing Completion. An Ornament to the city." Mr. Ephraim W. Shue was erecting a new hotel that was to be named after the late President James Buchanan's home, Wheatland. He will be the builder and owner, but not the operator of the hotel. The article told about the front of the six story hotel on North Queen Street, below Chestnut, which has been exposed for all to see since the scaffolding has been removed. All floors are available for viewing except for the most ornamental part of the front, the first story. The article went on to tell that the vast interior is taking shape and many of the rooms were receiving their final coat of plaster. The halls are spacious and the bedrooms are all of nice size as reported in the article.
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| The Wheatland Hotel at 160 N. Queen Street |
On every floor are bathrooms, a number of bedrooms and the main staircase is a beautiful open affair of quartered oak. The big dining-room occupies the rear of the second floor while the offices, safe, etc. are on the first floor. The great elevator shaft is a solid structure of brick. The entire interior of the hotel will be finished in oak. On Friday, November 13, 1903, the Daily New Era reported that the Wheatland Hotel Cafe will be opened tomorrow afternoon to be conducted by a Philadelphia chef, on the American and European plans. The same newspaper reported on Monday, May 2, 1904 that a public sale of live stock will be held at the Bull's Head Stables to the rear of the Wheatland Hotel. Horses from as far away as Virginia would be auctioned off. An article from 16 days later tells of another horse sale in the stables of the hotel. The hotel is becoming one of the finest in the city and seems to be popular with out-of-town guests as well as visiting relatives. Then on January 2, 1906 a story ran telling that one of the leading hostelries of the city and also one of the most modern places of its kind in the State, has changed proprietors. A Mr. Frank F. Shue, the son of the owner of the hotel, Mr. Ephraim W. Shue, who evidently needs no introduction, is the successor to the H. W. Lawrence who had run the hotel to this point. It was reported that the new proprietor is sure to make the place more popular than ever. On Tuesday, March 24, 1908, The News-Journal reported that proprietor Shue is now having plans prepared for enlarging of the hotel. There are now 150 sleeping rooms, but more are needed. The hotel will be expanded toward Market Street. The dining room will also be enlarged. I found an article from April 28, 1906 reporting that the Norristown Automobile Club will be holding their first annual road contest and will be arriving at the Wheatland Hotel. The cars, during the time the travelers were dining at the hotel, were on display on North Prince Street, north of Orange St. and large crowds of curious and interested were gathering there. On Saturday, June 13, 1908 the Lancaster Intelligencer reported that Mr. Ephraim W. Shue, the well known hotelman, died. Mr. Shue was a model hotel man and popular with the traveling public, as well as is townsmen. With the help of his sons, he made the Wheatland Hotel a splendid success. The next story I found of interest was from November 23, 1915's Daily New Era. It said that on December 8, 1915, by virtue of an order of the Orphan's Court of Lancaster County, the undersigned executrix of the last will and testament of Ephraim W. Shue, deceased, will expose to public sale at the auction rooms of John T. McGovern, No. 12 South Duke Street, Lancaster, Pa., the Wheatland Hotel, described as follows: A lot of ground on the West side of North Queen Street, between Orange and Chestnut Streets, Lancaster, Pa., a building known as the Wheatland Hotel. The sale was to be held on Wednesday, December 8, 1915 at 7:30 o'clock p.m., when terms and conditions will be made known. Wow...The Wheatland Hotel was being sold at public auction. On Monday, January 17, 1916 it was announced in the Intelligencer Journal that the sale of the Wheatland Hotel to Mr. .John Hiemenz was final and Mr. Hiemenz will turn the first floor into a saloon. Offices and apartments will be in the upper floors with an amusement hall in the rear. Mr. Frank Shue will continue to work in the cafe. The next newspaper story I could find was from Saturday, March 4, 1916. It reported that The Hotel Wheatland is being rapidly dismantelled of all its furnishings and all that Frank Shue the manager of the hotel had to say is: "All I can say is that the hotel will be closed for good at 12 o'clock tonight and alterations on the building will begin on Monday morning." It was rumored that someone unknown will take immediate possession. There was little published about the Wheatland Hotel until a story in the Lancaster New Era on Tuesday, May 3, 1927 reported that, "Wheatland Hotel Changes Hands." A large photograph accompanied the story that said that Mr. Leon B. Jacobs will head the Wheatland Hotel Corporation which will operate the hotel, with plans to make renovations to modernize it. The next day in the Intelligencer Journal was a story saying that Mr. Leon B. Jacobs has a 30 year lease from the Stanley Company of America for the Wheatland Hotel, located at 160 North Queen Street. Not much in the news until Saturday, December 22, 1934 when a headline in the Lancaster New Era read: WHEATLAND HOTEL PROPERTY IS LEASED." The Milner Hotels, Inc., a Detroit chain operating 60 hotels throughout the east and mid-west has leased the Wheatland Hotel. It was on Monday, April 19, 1943 that I next found information relating to the hotel when the headline in the Lancaster New Era read: Mrs. Shue, Former Wheatland Hotel Owner, is 80 Years Old. Story told about her life and the fact that at one time she was part-owner of the Wheatland Hotel. On January 6, 1957, The Sunday News had a small story saying that the new operators of the Wheatland Hotel are starting a long-term remodeling program throughout the hotel's 116 rooms and the once famous ballroom. Another paragraph in this story referred to the Wheatland Hotel as the Earle Hotel, but recently being renamed the Wheatland Hotel. After further searching, I found not one document when a name change was made.
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| Story from Saturday, June 12, 1965 Click on image to enlarge it. |
Then on Saturday, June 12, 1965, The Lancaster New Era's headline read: Wheatland Hotel Closes Its Doors. The sub-head read: Last Guests, Young Couple Alone On 7th Floor, Have Checked Out. The Wheatland Hotel, at 160 North Queen Street, a fancy "ginger-bread hostelry in the early 1900s, bowed goodbye to its last guests Thursday - a young couple who have been living alone among it's 116 rooms for the past three weeks." The Wheatland Hotel was part of the North Queen Street urban renewal plan which was a disaster to many who lived in Lancaster for all or most of their lives, including myself. Demolition was to begin in the near future while the hotel stood empty for the first time since the 1890's. So sad what happened to all those historic places in the second block of North Queen Street. To this day I still believe the architecture of that famous block of North Queen Street should have been preserved. And...I'm not the only one! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - a Big Thank You to Lancaster Newspapers for opening their archives to all subscribers of the newspaper. What a difference it has made in trying to research the history of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I could spend hours...matter of fact I do...reading about the history of my hometown by researching it in the local newspapers.
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