The Central Hotel: Mount Holly Springs

Mount Holly Springs was a popular summer resort at the base of the South Mountain. Situated on the Carlisle and Hanover Turnpike, six miles south of Carlisle, it presented a romantic view of the surrounding countryside and captured the cool mountain breezes during the summer.

In 1870, David Z. Geyer built a hotel. The frame building, which was called the "Geyer House" on the 1872 Atlas of Cumberland County, was modeled after a New England cottage and featured a long, covered porch that extended across the front of the building. It was located next to the Methodist Episcopal Church and stood on the spot where the Amelia S. Givin Free Library now stands.

There were three hotels in Mount Holly Springs in the 1870s, and for whatever reason just three years after David Geyer built the hotel, it was advertised at a sheriff’s sale to be held on October 23, 1873. The property was described as containing 100 feet front, on Main Street, and 200 feet in depth. The improvements consisted of a new two-story frame hotel, 80 feet in front by 80 feet in depth, built in a substantial manner, and with all the modern improvements as well as a good stable, icehouse, and a well.¹ It was sold in 1874 to Henry Saxton for $3,000.²

Henry Saxton likely sold the property to David Yeingst. ** Briefly called the “Yeingst House, and kept by Charles G. Yeingst, in December 1875, The Valley Sentinel newspaper reported that the “Yeingst House” in Mount Holly Springs had been rented by James Williamson who will take possession on April 1, 1876.³ Either Williamson or Yeingst changed its name to the Central Hotel and had a sign painted with the new name and the year 1876.⁴

Just like taverns were in their time, hotels were also centers of entertainment, and many kinds of events were held there. On August 16, 1877, the Central Hotel was the headquarters of a “grand picnic” held by the Knights of Pythias from Mount Pleasant and Shiremanstown. They concluded the day with an impromptu ball at the hotel and complimented their host, Mr. Williamson.⁵ On Saturday, August 2, 1879, a number of ladies and gentlemen who were staying at the Mullin House in Mount Holly went to the Central Hotel to hear a piano recital by Mrs. F. B. Sellers, of Pittsburgh. She was a daughter of Capt. William Porter of Mount Holly.⁶ It was at the Central Hotel that James Hamilton’s heir, Englishman Robert Creighton Bradish, married Miss Minnie Donovan of Carlisle on September 25, 1879.⁷

Mount Holly Springs was a popular destination for sleighing parties. Ready to get an excursion together as soon as enough snow had fallen, the young ladies and gentlemen of Mr. H. H. Longsdorff’s select school at Centerville hired Mr. Brown’s sled and headed off to Mount Holly on January 22, 1880. The newspaper reported that “Mount Holly was safely reached, where Mr. Williamson, of the Central Hotel, kindly permitted the party to have use of the dining room. After enjoying their lunch, they proceeded to Mullin’s paper mill, where, through the courtesy and kindness of those in charge, the mystery of paper-making was explained to the interested listeners.”⁸

David Yeingst advertised the private sale of the Central Hotel. He stated that a public sale would be held on October 21, 1882, if the hotel was not sold at a private sale first.⁹ The large inventory of hotel furnishings was auctioned at the hotel on March 27, 1883.¹⁰

In April 1883, James Williamson re-leased the hotel and was refurnishing the hotel to attract “the travelling public in first class style.”¹¹ When the hotel was sold to Joseph S. Early in October of that year, James Williamson left Mount Holly to work at the Doubling Gap Springs Hotel.

Joseph S. Early of Lebanon, PA, purchased the hotel in October 1883 and spent “large sums of money to improve the property.”¹² The hotel would have a good run of business for several years before disaster struck. In 1884 James H. Gensler established a livery and exchange stable in the rear of the hotel. He also began running a hack from Mount Holly to Carlisle on Saturday evenings.¹³

There were four applications for hotel licenses in Mount Holly in April 1885. Early, Morrison, Guyer and the Holly Inn. The court granted a license to Geyer’s and to the Holly Inn. They refused Morrison’s and appointed a person to go to Mount Holly and examine the remonstrances in Mr. Early’s case. The remonstrances against Mr. Early obtaining a license were “all manner of violations of the liquor law. Several of the members of the M.E. Church deposed that the noisy and drunken crowds, which are in the habit of congregating at the hotel corner, disturbed the religious meetings held at the church which is situated directly across the alley from the hotel. This was as bad Sunday evenings as at any time during the week.” The lawyer for the remonstrances said that there were already two hotels in town and that was enough. The lawyer for Mr. Early stated that the depositions that he read “from many of the prominent merchants and citizens of Mount Holly stated that the hotel was the best in town and had more accommodations; they had never seen any violations of the liquor laws.” Judge Sadler adjourned the court to consider the arguments of counsel.¹⁴ The court resumed on May 12, 1885, and Joseph Early’s application for a license at Mount Holly was refused.¹⁵ It can be confusing when researching hotels because they are often referred to by the owners or lessees name as well as the other name of the hotel. Such is this case.

Obviously, Mr. Early was granted his license at the 1886 January Court, because “Miss Amelia Givin gave a very delightful sleighing party to her friends last evening (January 15, 1886) at Mount Holly. A splendid collation was served by Mr. Early, of the Central Hotel, and after a charming evening the large party returned home at a seasonable [sic] hour.”¹⁶

An arsonist was afoot in Mount Holly Springs on the evening of March 1, 1886, and set fire to the stables of the Holly Inn and Early’s Central Hotel. Early’s stable and all of its contents, including the animals, were destroyed. Mr. H. W. Shoemaker had been staying at the hotel and had been using one of D. W. Wert’s teams driven by their prize horse, “Old Colonel.” The newspaper reported that “Old Colonel” was “burned to a crisp.” A mule that belonged to a Harrisburg candy manufacturer, a cow, a buggy, and a sleigh were also lost. Mr. Early managed to rescue a horse and a mule, but they were so badly burned they were not expected to survive.¹⁷

The summer season was always busy. On the fourth of July 1887, the Mount Holly band and drum corps played music throughout the day, and there was a fireworks display in front of the hotel in the evening.¹⁸

January 1888 kicked off with an installation on the 7th of the newly elected officers of Kennedy Post, 490, G.A.R. of Mount Holly. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, everyone “repaired in a body to the large and spacious dining rooms of the Central Hotel, where a collation had been prepared under the direction of Landlord Early. About forty members of the Post and a number of invited friends surrounded the large tables which groaned under the weight of bean soup, ham sandwiches, coffee, and crackers…After spending an hour in social chat and yarn spinning of the late war, the party dispersed.”¹⁹

A sad event happened at the hotel in June 1888. Mr. D. W. Lawrence of Harrisburg had been boarding the hotel for several days while he was selling patent medicine in the area. Several people noticed that he seemed in low spirits and found him to be in a stupor later in the evening. Dr. Pollinger was summoned and pronounced that Mr. Lawrence was under the influence of some drug. The doctor tried to revive him, but he died at 10:30 that evening. The doctor said the man had taken morphia and likely intended to kill himself. An inquest was held, and the panel rendered the verdict that Mr. Lawrence came to his death from unknown causes. His body was taken to the Cumberland County Alms House where it was buried.²⁰

Saturday evening dances were popular at the hotels in Mount Holly. In August, a group of about fifty merrymakers’ took advantage of a cheap excursion rate on the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad where they were invited to participate in the hop at either the Holly Inn or at the Central Hotel.²¹

In December 1888, the G. A. R. Post of Mount Holly held a holiday fair to raise money. It culminated on January 15, 1889, when a gold headed cane was chanced off in a contest between James H. Gensler and Joseph Early of the Central Hotel. When the boxes belonging to Gensler and Early were opened, the one with the greatest amount of money won the cane. Mr. Gensler had $35 and Mr. Early had forty-five.²²

On the morning of January 29, 1889, the hotel burned to the ground. “Mr. Early and his family and about a dozen guests were in the house, and it was with some difficulty that they were gotten out of the burning building. Some of the guests lost everything but their night clothes but were glad to get out alive…The fire caught from a stove-pipe which runs through the flooring before entering the chimney.”²³ “The cook was carried out of the house and two boarders escaped from the windows of their bedrooms to the roof of the front porch and reached the ground by a ladder… All of the furniture was destroyed except for that in the parlor. The piano and stock of whiskey were also saved. In two hours, nothing remained of the Central Hotel save three brick chimneys and a cellar filled with ashes, plastering, and charred wood.”²⁴

Mr. Early sold his hotel property and another lot in April 1889 to Miss Amelia Givin for $1,800.²⁵ In May, Miss Givin announced that she would build a library for the residents of Mount Holly Springs on the property. The Amelia S. Givin Free Library is an architectural gem that is still standing in Mount Holly Springs.²⁶

In December 1889 Mr. Early purchased the Cross Keys Hotel in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.²⁷ When the Early’s returned to Mount Holly to visit friends, they stayed at the Holly Inn.