A dozen or more family-run hotels and boardinghouses continued to operate in the Greene-Dreher community well in the 1960s. They were typically open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and many opened again during hunting season in late fall. They provided three home-cooked meals a day, and often the food was grown in their own gardens. Amenities available on the premises included swimming pools, lawn tennis, shuffleboard, croquet, boating, fishing, woodland trails and scenic waterfalls, among others. And all at moderate rates.
Our local boardinghouses provided summer employment for countless teenagers who worked as waitresses, chambermaids, bellboys and groundskeepers. It was often their first paying job. Terry Baughan’s parents owned The Lancaster in South Sterling, and he and his brother began helping out in the family business at a young age. He knows first-hand the hard work and long hours required to operate a seasonal resort that could accommodate up to 100 guests.
Like so many others, Panther Lodge was originally a farmhouse that took in a few city boarders each summer. In the 1940s, under new ownership, the bank barn on the property was converted to guest rooms to accommodate the new “vacationists,” now arriving by automobile rather than by train. Janice and Diane will share memories of working together at Panther Lodge for two summers in the early 1960s.
Attendees are invited to share their own memories of working in a local hotel or boardinghouse.
The program is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will follow the panel discussion. The program is sponsored by our Business Partner, Roadside Bistro
