CALLING ALL COTTAGE OWNERS!
What is your property’s story?

Have you ever wondered what your cottage would tell you if it could talk? In fact, we hosted a program with that title: “If Cottages Could Talk.” At the program, cottage owners shared the results of their research, enlightening all in attendance about the cottages and the broader history of the community.

One of the most often asked questions we get is, “What can you tell me about my cottage?” The Mount Gretna Area Historical Society is compiling a database of such information, will you help us? We encourage all owners to research and share with us what they learn about the history of their properties. If you have completed your research, click HERE  to download an input form.

To help you begin this fascinating quest, the Board has compiled some resources.

  1. Check with Pat Gibble, Archiving Coordinator at the Mount Gretna Area Historical Society. You may call for an appointment at 717-304-8825 or 717-964-1105. If we have little or no information on your cottage, Pat will guide you through the next steps to do research.
  2. Visit the Lebanon County Courthouse (LCC), Recorder of Deeds Department, Room 107, Municipal Building, 400 S. 8th Street, Lebanon, PA. The office is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. LCC has staff who will help you find deeds, ownership, and other data on your cottage. You will need to take along the name and address of the present owner of the cottage.
  3. You may also try using the online source Landex.com site. Once on the Landex site, choose WEBSTORE and then SEARCH to begin your cottage research. There is a charge for items downloaded from Landex. You may use this service to identify an INSTRUMENT # that you can take to LCC to direct staff to the appropriate book and page number if you do not want to pay for downloads. Several of our cottage owners have found valuable info online using this site.
  4. You may learn cottage history through oral history. Talking to neighbors who have owned nearby cottages may yield unexpected, delightful anecdotes. People walking by may also add details as they reminisce about renting or even owning the property. In addition, we have volunteers who serve on our Oral History Committee who would love to talk with you and record your memories about your cottage or others. Call or email the Historical Society.
  5. Another source of information are local newspapers. The Mount Gretna Area Historical Society’s research library has a subscription to Newspapers.com. Using names, dates, and the cottage name, if known, researchers should check the social pages of these publications to be transported to an earlier era when get-togethers on the porch were regular activities–indeed much as they are today though they most likely do not make the newspaper’s society pages! Contact the Society for an appointment.
  6. A visit the Lebanon County Historical Society may also yield some information.

We hope these resources and suggestions inspire you to get started on your own historical journey. We would also like to note that the use of the noun “cottages” may suggest a limited style of residence when, in fact, we are eager to learn about ALL residences in our unique Mount Gretna community to appreciate their role in our ongoing story.

Once your research is complete, click HERE  to download an input form to record your cottage’s history.

Please contact us if you have questions.
717-964-1105
mtgretnahistory@gmail.com