Lansdale Historical Society: The Junction House's hotel history

Successful business owners know that it’s necessary to change with the times if you want to stay in business. Hotel owners know this better than most.

These two photos show the same hotel in different eras. The Junction House opened around the time the railroad was built in the 1850s. Most trains stopped in Lansdale and the Junction House was busy with passengers and train crew who disembarked to stretch their legs and have a drink or a meal. Some passengers also needed lodging while they waited to change trains. As the town grew around the railway crossing, the hotel provided business space for tailors, doctors and dentists as well as a site for elections, auctions and civic meetings.

    The Junction House in Lansdale.
 Lansdale Historical Society Facebook   

The Junction House changed owners several times until 1874 when Davis Longaker purchased the hotel and moved to Lansdale. Longaker had experience in the hotel business having owned the Perkiomen Bridge Hotel in Collegeville for a number of years. He was renowned in the area for his ice cream, which he provided for picnics and community events. The hotel eventually became known as Longaker’s Junction House.

    Lansdale Historical Society Facebook   

After Davis Longaker’s death in 1898, his widow ran the hotel for several years before a son, John U. Longaker purchased the hotel from his mother in 1909. John Longaker brought the hotel into the 20th century by adding modern utilities and updating the look of the front of the hotel. The old Junction House was gone, and Longaker’s Hotel was born.

There’s more to the story of this hotel at the center of Lansdale’s business district, but we’ll save that for another day.

Lansdale Historical Society was founded in 1971, and its purpose is to preserve the history of the Borough of Lansdale and the greater North Penn area, and to share its collection of material and resources with the greater community, particularly the youth. It has its headquarters in a two-building complex, located on Jenkins Avenue in the center of Lansdale, Montgomery County, PA. The buildings are owned by the Borough of Lansdale.

Volunteer for or donate to the Society here. Follow them on Facebook.