The left side porch on the hotel in Merwinsburg is in poor condition, members learned at the Oct. 17 meeting of the Chestnuthill Township Historical Society. At a recent clean up it was looked at to determine what is needed.

Bill and Barbara Shiffer, who were the last owners before the township bought the hotel, attended the meeting and gave as much history as they knew.

The oldest part, built of stone, was in the center of the building. It was constructed in the 1700s. The first two stories were built in 1840, with the third floor added in 1890. It was always a boarding house, stagecoach stop and bar. At one time it was the post office, but lost out to Effort when a new post office was built. The post office was in the living room.

A judge, John Merwine, had a business venture that failed and the hotel changed hands. Alexander Gould from Hickory Run came and took it over. Another owner was Clark Gould, who was Bill Shiffer's grandfather. The Shiffers had brought some paintings from the area of the hotel. Some were painted by A.J. Faas.

One picture showed a sawmill on the property near the stream. Another is a picture of a barn, but only the foundation remains of the house. The main road past the hotel was dirt and there were open fields surrounding it. Now the area is grown up to brush and trees.

Stills were hidden along the stream. The revenuers came frequently to look.

Thirty-five to 40 people would stay at the hotel during the summers. There were 12 guest rooms, not including the back section. The cost was $35 a week and included three meals a day. They raised chickens and had a truck patch for vegetables. The guests looked forward to helping with the work.

Barbara Shiffer gave the names of some people who worked at the hotel. There were dances on Saturday nights. They were in competition with other local hotels that served as resorts.

John James Audubon, the ornithologist, and Horace Greeley of "Go West, young man" fame, stayed at the hotel.

It was the Easton-Wilkes Barre Stagecoach Line that stopped at the hotel. Horses were changed at the hotel and by the time they went up the hill through Sun Valley, they had to be changed again.

Barbara Shiffer is trying to gather recipes that were used at the hotel to put a cookbook toge