Waterville landmark nearly set to open under new ownership POSTED: September 21, 2008
DAVID KAGAN/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
WATERVILLE - By the end of the month, at the latest, Waterville's landmark building and business will be operating again. Previously known as the Waterville Hotel, "The Waterville Tavern" will open under new owners Al and Deb Harakel.
In the two months since they purchased it from Jan Bausinger on July 18, the Harakels have renovated both the interior and exterior of the historic structure. "It's all new, but it doesn't look new," Al Harakel said. "New insulation, new windows and doors, new furniture, new electric, new plumbing," he elaborated. "Everything's up to code." The outside front, with its first and second story porches, was constructed to resemble the way the hotel looked in the early 1900s.
From Robesonia, in Berks County, the Harakels built a cabin in the Haneyville area a couple years ago because they loved the area. Both had fond memories of visiting Pine Creek Valley and its surrounding mountains as children.
They welcomed the opportunity to take over the hotel and restaurant and bar, and to live in the area full time. Al was able to supervise and help with the renovation himself, as he has been in the construction business for more than 20 years.
When the Waterville Tavern opens, the Harakels will offer a new menu, "a very comfortable menu" that's "going to be for everybody's taste," according to Al. There will be a Big Pine Burger for those with hearty appetites, and a Little Pine Burger for slighter gastronomes. And there will be a children's menu.
The bar will be separated from the dining area by a wall and a "saloon" door. The establishment will remain non-smoking.
The tavern will be open seven days a week, year round, with the hours extended past 8 p.m. The Harakels want local people to know that their expanded hours will make it "worth the trip up the creek."
The Harakels will be "on duty" and around all the time to operate the tavern and to enjoy life on Pine Creek. They expect that their grown children, Michael and Melanie, who live in Robesonia and Sinking Spring, respectively, and their grandchildren, McKenzie, 7; Madison, 5; and Bailey and Sophia, both 3, will be regular visitors.
After the bar and restaurant are open, the Harakels will continue renovating the upstairs rooms. Eventually, they plan to offer them as rentals.
Tracing the history of the tavern, it was built in 1825 by pioneer Abraham Harris, before Waterville was laid out by Capt. James M. Wolf. Then called the Harris Tavern, it offered rooms. In addition, a stable and barn for horses were constructed. The Wolf family supplied blacksmiths, with Michael Wolf obtaining a stagecoach contract in 1870, and supplying the horses. Harris operated his tavern until 1850.
John and Julia Sofield operated the tavern for him from 1850 until Harris's death in 1863. Then Harris's son, also named Abraham, became the owner and managed it until Thomas Bonnell bought it in 1869.
After the railroad came to Waterville in 1883, and the great lumber era was approaching its height, the community became more important, and business must have boomed for Bonnell at the tavern. The third floor bunkhouse housed loggers during the 1880s and 1890s. Waterville was at a major crossroads, with the road to English Center and its tannery up Little Pine Creek from the village.
In 1890, Samuel Carson purchased the hotel from Bonnell. The business was renamed the Hotel Carson. When Carson died in 1904, his wife Jennie became the owner and ran it until 1920.
In that year, Silas Hostrander bought it, hiring George A. and Lottie Wolf Wheary Wood to live in the hotel and run it. During those years, carbide lights were installed by Vincent Grasso of English Center; he had experience installing them in Pennsylvania coal mines. Probably under Hostrander, the name was changed to the Waterville Hotel.
During Prohibition, from 1920 to 33, the hotel-tavern business ebbed greatly, with the Waterville Hotel being no exception. Hostrander sold the hotel to Lottie Love and her son Edward in 1923, who in turn sold it to Lewis Rogers in 1929.
After it was sold in 1933 to William and Jessie Smith, the business finally began to again prosper, becoming a great gathering place as in the past. As it now was pretty much after the "horse days," the hotel's barn was used for town meetings and square dances.
In 1945, the Waterville Hotel Corp. (with president Rose Wallendorf and secretary Inez Lindauer and her husband Jud) bought it. It passed to Robert and Isabel Crosthwaite in 1961, to James Zeigler in 1969, to Joel and Patricia Meyer in 1974, to Edwin Meissner and partners in 1975, and to Jan and Julia Bausinger in 1979.
Because of the Harakels, Abraham Harris's 19th century historic tavern will live on into the 21st century, renovated to look as it did 100 years ago and, hopefully, to prosper through and beyond its 200th anniversary year in 2025.
Date: Saturday, June 27th, 2009
Three members of the oldest generation, all Clark siblings to my Mother (now deceased), were present: by age - Jim Clark, Bill Clark and Pat (Clark) Shields. Second, third and fourth generations were also present.
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