{"nrhp_refnum":"78002416","name":"Witmer's Tavern","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2014 Old Philadelphia Pike","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lancaster","county":"Lancaster County","state":"PA","lat":40.039867152000056,"lon":-76.24168528399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-12-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one-half story rectangular blue limestone tavern on the Old Philadelphia Pike at the Conestoga River crossing near Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Its east section dates from circa 1725 and the larger west section was added in 1773.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the tavern is one of the best examples of an 18th-century tavern in Lancaster County. It is tied to the Philadelphia to Lancaster Turnpike, where lodging and travel services were offered, and to Abraham Witmer, who was authorized to operate a toll bridge over the Conestoga Creek and was a prominent local innkeeper.","narrative":"Built in two sections of blue limestone, the Witmer Tavern on the Old Philadelphia Pike near Lancaster began as a circa 1725 building at its east end. In 1773 Henry Witmer added the larger west section, marked by a datestone bearing the initials HW and MW and the year. The house has sixteen rooms on two floors and an attic, a central hall running its full depth, and original brick kitchen flooring. It stood at the 64th mile of the Philadelphia to Lancaster Turnpike, where the road crossed the Conestoga River. Taverns along this route provided meals, lodging and local news to travelers. Abraham Witmer, who acquired the property in 1806, was a tax assessor for Lampeter Township and was authorized to run a toll bridge over the Conestoga Creek. The tavern is regarded as one of the best surviving examples of its type in the county.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The tavern is currently being restored.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.366287-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002416.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002416/2c924b8bc7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002416/2c924b8bc7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Witmers_Tavern_front_LanCo_PA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Witmers_Tavern_front_LanCo_PA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996145","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witmer%27s_Tavern","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8028363"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lancaster-county/witmers-tavern-78002416/"}