A Lincoln Highway roadside 'Haven' (complete with windmill) is no more; farewell to a classic Dairy Queen; a neon palm tree sways with changing times | Rolando's Roadside Roundup
Plus: A bakery takes down its historic sign; the 'boxification' of American architecture; changes in Wildwood; and many more headlines from the road.
Iconic Lincoln Highway mainstay Dutch Haven, an Amish country tradition, has closed and is on the market for $2.4 million
They all hurt, but this one hurts more than most. Dutch Haven in Lancaster County, the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish Country, is closed and is on the market for $2.4 million.
I first visited here in the summer of 1997, at the start of what were four wonderful years living in the nearby Lehigh Valley, working for The Morning Call newspaper. I was in my mid-20s, very impressionable, and Dutch Haven in Ronks made one heck of an impression on me. It was the sort of place that set me on the storytelling path I’m on today.
How could Dutch Haven not invite curiosity and compel a pullover? The yellow building with its massive rooftop windmill is the stuff of roadside dreams, and to step inside is to be transported to another time. There is the shoofly pie, made from an old recipe, and the free samples that immediately sold me on the Pennsylvania Dutch treat. I enjoyed it every time I visited.
Inside were charming and eclectic regional souvenirs, Amish furniture, and more. The decor was a throwback, too. And there were hex signs, lots of them. Hex signs, variously described as tools to ward off evil, attract good fortune and undeniably add beauty, are a Pennsylvania Dutch barn tradition that I first learned about at Dutch Haven. I own a couple of them — created by Jacob Zook’s company, of course — and they each came from Dutch Haven.
Dutch Haven closed on Jan. 1, with the owner, Paul Stahl, saying it was time. He told Pennlive.com that he had grown weary of dealing with people. (We can all relate, I’m sure.)
“Dealing with the public has just gotten more and more difficult. I’m at an age I should think about doing something else,” he told the publication.
A buyer who wants to keep this place going would be purchasing a turnkey operation, as Stahl left everything — from the merchandise to the recipes — in place. Here’s the listing if you’re curious.
Wouldn’t it be nice if a buyer came along who was turnkey — not bulldozer — minded? All this space — 3.5 acres on which sit several buildings — makes the land rather appealing for somebody looking to start something new, not involving shoofly pie or Hex signs or T-shirts that say “I love Intercourse.” (Intercourse is a Pennsylvania community that is part of what I like to call the Pennsylvania Sexual-Repression Belt, with names like Virginville, Blue Ball, Climax, Bird-in-Hand and Mount Joy. It’s enough to make a Retrologist blush.)
But back to Dutch Haven. What will become of it and those cheeky souvenirs? It dates to 1946, the very start of American post-war roadside culture, with a former luncheonette on the site dating to the 1920s. It’s billed as “Route 30’s original Amish crafts store and the largest Amish souvenir store in Lancaster County.” It’s one of the grand stops on the Lincoln Highway, America’s first coast-to-coast highway, and it’s a sad thought indeed to think of Dutch Haven in the past tense.
The closure of Dutch Haven comes a few years after we said goodbye to the aptly named Roadside America nearby, which featured an astonishing miniature village, shops and, like Dutch Haven, an irreplaceable vintage ambiance so specific to this corner of the world.
I can only hope you will have a chance to see Dutch Haven’s charms for yourself one day, or like me, visit again, ever so more appreciative that the place beat the odds. My photos will give you a little taste of Dutch Haven. Alas, you can’t taste the shoofly pie this way, though you have alternatives.
Here’s hoping those hex signs ward off the bulldozers. What we need to fly by and land here, my friends, is a distelfink, and the post below will explain why.
Dutch Haven [MAP]
What will become of historic bakery store sign in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?
The historic Vallos Bakery in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is getting a new sign. They posted the news the other day on their Facebook page, saying they didn’t know what they would do with the old one.
I say, just keep it where it’s always been — or at the very least — in a meaningful place on the property.
Quite a number of people, probably as stunned and baffled as I was by the news, suggested the family-run bakery, dating to 1926, just leave well enough alone. The sign certainly is showing its years but that’s nothing a loving, careful restoration can’t fix.
Below is just a sampling of the comments, which I mostly agree with except the suggestion to call “American Pickers.”
There is the odd “long overdue” comment about losing the old sign and “I can’t wait” type of comment about anticipating the new one, but most people in the thread would like to see the old sign stay.
This one comment particularly struck me, courtesy of Michael Hlavinka:
Please, No. Just get the sign refurbished. I remember my grandparents taking us as little kids and seeing that sign. Every time I pass it it brings back some of the best memories of my life. If you don't know what to do with it I'll buy it from you. I'll figure something good with it.
Have an opinion about the sign’s future? Please CLICK HERE and let Vallos Bakery know! And maybe I should stop by myself to check in on the sign. Perhaps I can time my visit to the start of Lent next month and pick up some Fat Tuesday fastnachts (donuts), another Pennsylvania Dutch delicacy, like the Shoofly Pie at Dutch Haven!
Vallos Bakery [MAP]
Change is the tune in Doo-Wop paradise Wildwood
Wildwood Video Archive broke the news that Kelly’s Cafe, an icon of this Jersey Shore town, has been sold. The now former owners acknowledged the news on Facebook, and said the new hands will be much like the old.
“As far as we know, Kelly’s Cafe will still remain a historical landmark, restaurant, and bar.”
Let’s hope so.
The news is not as rosy for fans of the Doo Wop Drive-in, which celebrated the 1950s heritage of the Wildwoods. That diner, which opened amid the pandemic in 2020, has also been closed and is being sold, Wildwood Video Archive reports.
And if it seems there’s a lot of change here recently, this article confirms there is. There are at least eight doo-wop motels up for sale here. Is this cause for concern? I’ll share my thoughts in a future post.
‘America, the Bland:’ The ‘boxification’ of our architecture
I’ve spent years bemoaning the increasing blandification of roadside architecture, once charming roadside designs replaced by sleek, sterile boxes.
The New York Times notes how the phenomenon extends well beyond fast-food architectures and observes: “new developments are starting to look the same, raising fears that cities are losing their unique charm. But in the current housing crisis, does that matter?”
The article is a good read and worth your time. [New York Times]
Sign highlight: Palms Motel in Portland
The climate in Portland, Oregon, does not lend itself particularly well to palm trees, but a hardy species is known to thrive there: The neon variety.
This sign for the Palms Motel has long welcomed guests, but that’s about to change.
There are reports that the motel is being converted into apartments. As for the sign, it appears it’s not going anywhere. Well, it will likely make a trip to the sign shop for a retrofit that reflects the Palms’ new residential role.
According to Willamette Weekly:
Dirgesh Patel, manager of Green Lotus, tells WW he intends to keep the sign. “I would never take that sign down. I wouldn’t think of it,” he says.
That’s heartening news. Still, this is an opportune time to get to Portland and see this beauty just as it is in my photo.
The Palm Motel [MAP]
Notes From the Road
The beautiful 1965-vintage Dairy Queen in Merritt Island, Florida, is closing on Feb. 5 after 58 years. [Florida Today]
Four Regal Cinemas theaters in New York and New Jersey are among 39 being shut down as the company trims costs. [ABC7NY]
Renovations always run the risk of removing character — patina — from a roadside favorite. I think the recent work at Stamp’s Super Burger in Jackson, Mississippi, is an example of that. [WAPT]
A historic White Castle in Chicagoland will be demolished. The Whiting location opened in 1935, and was only the second in the Chicago area. It will be replaced by a larger White Castle nearby. [nwi.com]
This reminds me of the loss of a White Castle in Jackson Heights, Queens, which was of similar vintage. I shared photos and the story on my Instagram last year, below.
Add The Rockford to the list of lost historic places in Raleigh, North Carolina, which prompts the question, “is enough being done to preserve the city's history?” [WRAL]
The beloved Mission Tiki Drive-in in Montclair, California has closed. And the final flea market there takes places this weekend. H/T to Charles Phoenix, from whom I learned the news. He remembers watching “Jaws” there in 1975.
Gino’s Steaks, cheesesteak icon of South Philly, is opening up a store in South Jersey, just across the Delaware River in Cherry Hill. [NBC 10]
The Otis Poultry Farm and the Farmington River Diner in the Berkshires are for sale. The owners — a husband-and-wife team — are “tired.” The farm is 119 years old, founded by co-owner Andy Peyson’s grandfather. [Berkshire Eagle]
A restaurant supply business is closing that started in Manhattan’s restaurant-equipment district in the Bowery before moving to Long Island in 2005. Ideal Restaurant Supply, in Carle Place, has been auctioning off its contents. and is closing on Feb. 1. [Newsday]
No cash, no hot dog as Portillo’s drive-thrus in Chicago go cashless. The change has been made to protect workers from holdups and other threats. [ABC7]
A perfect symbol of our lugubrious times: Party City files for bankruptcy. [CNN]
Paddy Reilly’s, a Manhattan mainstay since the 1980s, will soon be serving its final pint of Guinness. [Irish Central]
An icon of Jersey City and heralded as a futuristic wonder of its day, the A.C. Chevrolet building in the Journal Square neighborhood has been demolished after almost 70 years. The neon sign that said A.C. was sadly demolished, too. [NJ.com][Photos]
Miss the Googie World tour in Los Angeles back in the fall? This article gives you a virtual tour. [Print Mag]
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The news about Dutch Haven hit hard. I was born in Washington, DC, and lived in that general area until I was 8. We took many day trips to Lancaster in my youth and I am a fellow shoo-fly pie addict. My mother bought a recipe book from the Dutch Haven but could never master the shoo-fly pie despite many valiant efforts. I am planning a trip to that area this year and Dutch Haven was on my must-see list. I hope the building will still be there so I can see it. Your photos brought back so many childhood memories.