Mount Gretna: Thirty Minutes and Years Away
Mount Gretna: Thirty Minutes and Years Away
Not twenty miles away from the center of Lancaster City, there is a quaint community nestled in the trees, the closest thing I have experienced to a time machine. This time machine first activates as you drive into the community of uniquely preserved century-old homes, which is surrounded by a forest of maple, walnut, and oak trees. These homes were once summer cottages, built by a religious order as a Chautauqua. It was and continues to be, a destination that allows adults to learn and relax in and amongst nature. Residents of the Mount Gretna community take this ethos to heart, priding themselves on their ability to put together an array of activities for the summer season like the generations that came before them. Every season, they recreate a place of refuge from the stress of cities, jobs, and everyday demands. They have built – and continue to build – a place of relaxation, learning, and entertainment, surrounded by the true beauty of nature.
“We run on volunteer power,” shares Sue Hostetter, director of the Mt Gretna’s Historical Society and a retired librarian. That volunteer power helps to coordinate well over 100 different summer programs and, of course, Mount Gretna’s world-famous Outdoor Art Show each August. The volunteers spend all winter getting ready for the summer and planning the array of offerings that anyone is welcome to enjoy.
From theater productions to cooking classes, from bird watching to glass-fusion jewelry making, Mt Gretna is the modern (and expanded) version of the original Chautauqua model. Of this model, President Teddy Roosevelt once said: “It is a source of positive strength and refreshment of mind and body to come to meet a typical American gathering like this—a gathering that is typically American in that it is typical of America at its best.” The four pillars of the original Chautauqua model are (and continue to be): arts, education, religion, and recreation. Offerings that fall under those four pillars can be found in the Mt Gretna Summer 2024 activities calendar. Planning a day trip to – or a full season in – this haven in the woods can be as exciting or as enlightening as you want it to be.
Time and economic downturns almost destroyed Mt Gretna, making it a forgotten tourist spot like the Ephrata Mountain Springs. Instead, however, today, it is a thriving community of neighbors and volunteers that pride themselves on working together to honor their history and their future. It is clear that spending time with friends and family, laughing, and playing by the lake is as important as the work that went into making all of it possible.
What is a Chautauqua?
In New York, 1874, a Methodist Minister and Businessman set up a campsite next to a lake, meant to be a space to train Sunday School teachers. The idea grew to include presenting lectures on timely topics (think the TED Talks of the day, located by a beautiful lake… then make it a multi-day affair with added amusement parks and musical acts). The Chautauqua model spread throughout the US, reaching its pinnacle in the 1920s. For a time, there was even a lecture circuit, on which you could hear politicians, scientists, artists, and historians discuss their passions; some of the most famous speakers included Jane Addams, William Jennings Bryant, Franklin Roosevelt, and Eugene V. Debs. This idea remained popular until the advent of vaudeville, and later, the motion picture.
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By Marian Pontz
