It was an ordinary day. The headline on my first email of the day read "Lancaster's Stockyard Inn to close at historic site as new property owner eyes redevelopment." Had to make a quick phone call to my son, Tad, who is a big fan of the restaurant. About a week ago he treated both my wife and myself to a great meal at the Stockyard Inn as his gift for Mother's Day and Father's Day for the both us. Picked us up at home and within about 15 minutes we were seated at a table in what at one time was a farmhouse on the Northern outskirts of the city of Lancaster. The restaurant, which is one of the oldest and most historic taverns and watering holes in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was built in 1750 and had a lookout tower that was used to scout for hostile Native Americans.
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| The Lancaster Stockyard Inn with the lookout tower on top. |
It has seen a few owners in its lifetime, but perhaps the most famous was President James Buchanan who purchased the property in 1856, the year before he became President of the United States. The Lancaster Stockyards was the largest stockyard east of Chicago and the cattlemen who arrived at the stockyards found the Stockyard Inn to be a great place to find food and shelter. In 1952 the current owner, James Fournaris, purchased the Inn and reinvented the venue into the upscale steakhouse that is is today. The meal which Carol, Tad and I had was amazing as usual. Carol had the 7 oz, Petite Filet Mignon which came with a salad and vegetables, Tad had Surf & Turf which was the 7 oz. Petite Filet Mignon along with a large crab cake with salad and vegetables and I had the Twin Lobster tails with salad and vegetables. We received our drinks and salad first and before long our meals were placed in front us.  |
| Interior of the Lancaster Stockyards. |
My small glass butter cup was heated with a candle that warmed the butter for my lobster tails. We were all full and passed on the dessert tray. It is a real treat to eat at the Stockyard Inn and Tad tries to treat us as often as he can to a fabulous meal. Well, my email took me by surprise when I read the headline. The Stockyard Inn, which has an address of 1147 Lititz Pike, was sold for $3.65 million to a developer whose plans for the 4.6 acre property don't include operating a restaurant. Being that the old farmhouse is part of the history of Lancaster County, it will either have to remain or perhaps moved to another location in the city of Lancaster. As of now it will remain open for perhaps eight more months. The new owners are an investment group who have within the past few years bought other properties in the city of Lancaster with plans to re-build or renovate. The new owner said he realizes that the Stockyard Inn is an iconic place for many in the area and he hopes to respect the history of the site and creatively imagine what smart urban growth looks like. The original four-room stone farmhouse at the site is believed to have been built in 1750 with major additions in 1850 and 1922. As I have started before, President James Buchanan was an owner at one time, but sold it to the Pennsylvania Railroad eight years after he purchased it. Lancaster Stockyards was a very active stockyards for many years. I lived about 4 blocks from the stockyards and on Mondays of each week, the day of the animal auction and sale, it wasn't unusual to see a few steers walking up and down our rear alley. Naturally, they were usually being chased by a few men on horseback. I also raised guinea pigs in my back yard and made trips to the stockyards every week to fill a few burlap bags with the scrap hay and straw from the cow and steer pens. Then in 1999, livestock sales at the Stockyards petered out and the largest stockyards east of Chicago closed. The land on which the Stockyard Inn had been located had been sold off from the rest of the land in the 1970s so the restaurant still remained opened. Then in 2004 a fast-food, more casual version of the Stockyard Inn opened next door. It was called Jimmee's Deluxe Grill and was also owned by the Fournaris family. It had a '50s motif and tried to stay a cut above the fast-food chains in the area. It eventually closed a few years ago. So, what's going to happen now? No one seems to know. We have heard that the owner might relocate the current restaurant, but another rumor said he is going to retire. Only time will tell, I guess. Tad and his mom and I are going to miss those birthday, Mother's Day and Father's Day trips to the Stockyard Inn. That's for sure! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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