The Stevens House Hotel Records include items from the Stevens House Hotel in Lancaster, PA. The hotel was considered one of the most elegant outside of Philadelphia. Two scrapbooks contain board meeting minutes, as well as menus and programs for events that took place at the hotel. The board meeting minutes record the management and modernization of the hotel. Researchers will find an example of how Prohibition affected the local economy. The second book preserves programs from New Year's Eve celebrations, balls and banquets, and class reunions, which contain menus and list entertainment.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Stevens House Hotel Records (MG0246), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folders 15-16 are restricted because they contain original newspaper articles that are too fragile to handle.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
1997.MG0246
Other Numbers
MG-246
Classification
MG0246
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by KB, January-May 2014. Added to database 3 January 2022.
Collection includes the United Church Women of Lancaster's organizational minutes, reports, financial records, and records pertaining to the Crispus Attucks Project.
This collection contains ephemera related to Julius J. "Jule" Ritchey of Lancaster and his career as a middleweight boxer.
Admin/Biographical History
Julius J. "Jule" Ritchey was born in 1895 in Lancaster's Cabbage Hill neighborhood. During his career as a middleweight boxer, he fought 75 bouts, won 65 of them and had 4 KOs. He fought alongside local contemporaries Leo Houck, Rosey Stoy, and Tim Droney. He trained in various places around the world, including Havana, Cuba. Ritchey later worked from Armstrong until he retired in 1960. He died 9 January 1983 in Lancaster.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Jule Ritchey Collection (MG0913), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Accession Number
Unknown.MG0913
Other Numbers
MG-913
Classification
MG0913
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Transferred from Boxing Information File, 13 May 2003. Transferred from Document Collection, Box 32, Folder 9, Items 1-7, 13 April 2022.
This collection contains records of the Wheatland Diner, including correspondence, advertising, menu, recipe cards, blueprints and documents for the sale of the property. Newspaper articles report the plan for and delivery of the diner ,fires, 1956 fatal accident, problems with teenage customers and the sale of the property.
Menus of local restaurants dating from the mid-nineteenth century show changes in fare and the price of meals. Some menus have tourist or historical information.
The Watt & Shand Collection contains materials related to the Watt & Shand Department Store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Series 1 includes employee handbooks, job description, beauty salon price list, bridal registry information, a history of the store, a Christmas catalog, a Historic Preservation Trust calendar, and children's books.
Series 2 is a record of the property at the downtown location and at Park City Mall beginning in 1880 with deeds, legal agreements, a building inspector's permit, and insurance policies.
Admin/Biographical History
On 22 February 1878, Peter Watt, James Shand and Gilbert Thompson advertised the opening of a new store, The New York Store, featuring new lines of foreign and domestic dry goods as well as fancy goods and notions. The New York Store opened on 9 March 1878 and was an immediate success focusing on customer service. The owners had an unwritten policy stating that they remained open until the last customer left. During that first year, partner Gilbert Thompson died. Watt and Shand purchased a building located at 8-10 East King Street and changed their name from The New York Store to Watt, Shand and Company. Then during 1885, the store name was shortened to Watt & Shand even though the business was expanding to acquire 6 East King Street. The Ladies' Ready-To-Wear Department was added in 1889 which included coats, suits, dresses, and underwear. The owners proceeded to expand the business over several decades and procured Appel & Weber jewelry store and Hager's Department Store during the 1950s and 1960s. The branch store opened in 1970 at Park City Mall. The Bon-Ton Stores purchased Watt & Shand in 1992 and the store officially closed in March of 1995
Preferred citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folder 2 contains restricted items. With the exception of Folder 2, the items in this collection may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-237
Classification
MG0237
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Scrapbook cataloged by CB, 2008. Series 2, Folder 1-48 cataloged by ML, Summer 2014. Added to database 13 January 2022.
The Watt & Shand Department Store scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. ME60112.
The F. W. Woolworth Collection contains materials related to the F. W. Woolworth Store, including anniversary booklets, dinner menu, event program, and annual reports.
Admin/Biographical History
The first successful F. W. Woolworth Store opened in Lancaster, PA in July 1879.