Lititz, PA II (8/15/2023)

Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Walking tour of Lititz, PA:

Mary Dixon Chapel (1883-1885, by
Willis G Hale in High Victorian Gothic style
"with Germanic ambiance") was built
in memory of a student at Linden Hall
School for Girls (1746), the oldest girls'
boarding and day school in continuous
operation in the United States (KSS)

Stengel Hall (1769) of Linden Hall
School for Girls (KSS)

Moravian Single Sisters' House (1758-1759) is also part
of Linden Hall School for Girls (KSS)

Moravian Parsonage and Church (1787,
restored after a fire in 1957)

Single Brothers' or Brethren House (1758-1759) in which
General George Washington established a military hospital
for eight months during the American Revolution

Hand water pump (KSS)

Another look at the Christian Schropp House (1793),
now the Lititz Historical Society Museum

The Johannes Mueller Workshop and House (1792)

79 E Main Street, Lititz, PA may have been a warehouse

27-31 E Main Street, Lititz, PA (1927)

Far left is 1 E Main Street (1922 as Lititz Springs National Bank)
and on right is 9 E Main Street (The Farmers National Bank)

Patio fountain at Lititz Springs Inn (1764)

Memorial Plot with Roebick Fountain (1895)
dedicated to the Lititz Veterans  of the
Grand Army of the Republic (Civil War)

Former Wilbur Chocolate Company (founded 1865
in Philadelphia) Lititz factory (1913) is now The Wilbur
with condos and a boutique hotel

Wilbur Chocolate Store

Packaging Wilbur chocolates

Iconic Wilbur Buds were developed in 1893,
before the similar Hershey's Kiss in 1907;
the Buds are not individually wrapped

A replica of the 1884 Reading Railroad Train Station (1999)
serves as the town's Welcome Center

View of Lititz Springs Park and Duck Pond

Lititz Springs Park Gazebo (2004,
 as a replica of the 1906 Music Pavilion)

Fern Island once was planted with native ferns

Children feeding special food pellets to the ducks

A sign states what you may and
may not feed the ducks

Beck Memorial Band Shell (1937)

Arched Bridge (c 1856, replacing a 1700s bridge)

Lititz Springs Head End fitted with a limestone wall,
fonts and coping in 1856

Coping around a font?

The plaque reads: Gottes Brünnlein hat
Wasser die Fülle/God's little fountain
has water in abundance

Above the springs is a smaller copy (2006) of the
Lion of Lucerne (Switzerland) that was placed here to
fulfill the dream of Julius Beck, who had attempted
to carve the lion in the rock below

The lion's head (c 1857, by Julius Beck) was
defaced beyond recognition in 2005

Bulls Head Public House (est 2010) is said to be the best
pub in town; it is part of Lititz Springs Inn

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Factory (est 1861 as the first
commercial pretzel bakery in the country) and the
Sturgis House (1784, purchased 1861 by Julius)

Giant Sturgis Pretzel and Kent

Pretzels and pretzel designs

Race to Intercourse (2020, by L M Hocker)
imagines the Plain people evolving to use
a 1913 Indian twin-engine motorcycle

Blue Ball Country Club (2020, by L M Hocker)
contrasts Plain clothing with over-the-top clothing

At our reserved 14:30 tour time, we were
ushered into the factory and lined up
at a counter with a small ball of dough
(flour, water, yeast, and malt)

First roll out the dought until it is about 15" long

Make a 'U' shape

Cross the ends of the 'U'
(making a Christian fish symbol)

Twist the ends one time

Press two "eyes of the fish"
on the lower section

Bring the ends down to fit on the eyes

Turn the pretzel upside down to see the "Trinity"

We received an Official Pretzel Twister Certificate!

Next boil or soak in water,
then salt the pretzel (KSS)

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes
for a soft pretzel (KSS)

An automatic pretzel twister (KSS)

Mary Oehme Garden behind the Johannes Mueller House