Welcome to Lititz. Before coming to Pennsylvania, we’d never heard of the town. Founded in 1756, named America’s Coolest Small Town in 2013. After visiting I can understand why.
Lititz Museum
On our way to the museum, we strolled past several older buildings. One of them was the Warden’s house, built in 1757. The museum is housed in a similar old stone building. Brochures furnished by the Lititz Historical Foundation offered a detailed photographic list of Main Street Buildings (most built in the 1700s) for a personal walking tour.
Our language has many customary sayings. We’ve heard them so often, but we’ve long lost their original meanings. According to our costumed museum docent here are the origins of two of them:
• When a home was first built it usually had a dirt floor unless the owner could afford better. From this came the saying, “Dirt Poor.”
• When or if the owner had enough money they covered the dirt floor with a slate floor. However, slate was slippery. So, they put thresh (or straw) on the floors to deal with the slipperiness. A rock slab or perhaps a wood slab at the doorway was called a “Threshold” because it kept or held the thresh inside the home.
Moravian Church
The Moravian Church complex is across Main Street from the museum. It was established in Lititz in 1727. Never heard of the Moravians? Check this blog in December when I’ll share more about them. Or visit the museum if you need to know before then.
Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery
You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the giant pretzel in front of this oldest pretzel bakery in America. During a bakery tour, you can learn about the pretzel’s origins and practice folding one, too.
Travel Light Humor
Julius Sturgis was a bit lazy about removing the last trays of pretzels at the end of the baking day. He sometimes left them in the ovens until they baked hard. All pretzels were originally soft. Everyone agreed no one would pay for hard pretzels. Julius disagreed and proceeded to prove it.
Turns out this was one time laziness paid off. Just look at all those bags of hard pretzels for sale on modern store shelves. I guess Julius was right.
Travel Tips
• Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, 219 East Main Street, 717-626-4354. You can purchase both soft and hard pretzel varieties in the bakery store. Check website for current family friendly tour times and fees: www.juliussturgis.com
• Lititz Museum, 145 East Main Street, 717-627-4636. Entrance fee charged for part of the museum. Call or visit website for details: http://lititzhistoricalfoundation.com/contact.html
The beautiful garden behind the museum property also provided additional parking spaces if the street parking was full.
• Moravian Church, 8 Church Square (1/4 mile east of Rte. 501 along Main Street), 717-626-8515 website: www.lititzmoravian.org
We found so many surprises to enjoy in Lititz. Join me next week for more. Do you want a hint? Hershey isn’t the only chocolate factory in Pennsylvania.
What unexpected travel surprises have you found? Tell me about them in the comments below.
Until next time . . . Travel Light,
SuZan
© 2017 SuZan Klassen
SuZan Klassen 