Lancaster County PA Realty Check: Pennsylvania: Lititz

One of the most pleasant and historic towns in Lancaster County is the borough of Lititz, PA, founded by the Moravians in 1756.  Besides the wonderfully preserved architectural heritage and rich history, there are well-tended parks and green areas which add to the quality of life.

Linear Park is one such area.  Running between Market Street and Brookview Drive, it symbolically connects the historic town with the modern surrounding suburbs.

Children have plenty of available activities, while the paved walking trails are ideal for cyclists and joggers.

A wide variety of scenery passes by in the relatively narrow park.  Here a brook cuts through a wooded area.

                                                        A baseball field is one of the attractions in Linear Park.

Lititz is never far from the scenic Lancaster County farmland.  Here alpacas, known for their fine wool, graze in an adjacent field.

Linear Park was created in a joint cooperative effort by Warwick Township, Lititz Borough, Lititz Springs VFW, Lancaster County Parks Community Iniative Program, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  It is open daily dawn to dusk.

©BrianSchulman2009

This year marked the 190th Independence Day celebration at Lititz Springs Park!  Events were planned from July First all the way through July Fourth.  July 4th started out with a Tang Soo Doo karate demonstration, followed by an accoustic guitar program from Corty and Scott from the Green Onions.

A national bell ringing ceremony was followed by Lititz's eighteenth annual baby parade.  The New Line Review, a dance ensemble, performed, while the kids "panned for gold" as the legendary General Sutter did in the 1849 Gold Rush.

Later in the afternoon, attendees enjoyed Midlife Mitch and the Mood Swings, and a performance by the Lititz Community Band.  Intermittent rain in the evening delayed but did not prevent the 165th Grand Illumination of Candles, suspended from wood platforms constructed over the springs.  The headline act of the evening was the Blue Notes, a group from Philadelphia that has been well known for thirty five years for such hits as "If You Don't Know Me By Now".

The culmination of the evening, the fireworks, had been scheduled to start at 9:05 PM, but due to the rain had to be postponed until almost 11:00 PM.  A beautiful display of cascading fireworks displayed forms, among others, that looked like tiger lilies, and musical notes!

The first Independence Day celebration in Lititz Springs Park was held July Fourth, 1811.  Apparently the Moravial board of overseers disapproved of all the merry-making and noise!  It wasn't until 1818 that Lititz held another community-wide observance on July Fourth.

Since then, there hs been a continuing tradition of patriotic demonstrations at Lititz Springs Park every Independence Day.

On July 4, 1843, a feature was started which has become a unique tradition ever since.  It was decided to light 400 candles at night, described as a "general illumination of the grounds".  At the time, this was considered a grand and lavish demonstration.  Greatly successful, the tradition has continued ever since.

In 1893, a 10-foot miniature replica Ferris wheel was erected in the springs, powered by a water wheel.  Unfortunately, this feature had to be discontinued, since the water level in the springs typically went down during the dry summer months, and was not high enough to drive the water wheel during droughts.

In 1903 a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower was erected to go along with the grand illumination.  Over the years, various themes have been used for the July Fourth celebrations.  This year, the entertainment, parades and activities over the July 1 through July 4 period promise to be bigger than ever!

In 1784 Peter Sturgis built a lovely stone house at 219 East Main Street, Lititz.  In 1861, Julius Sturgis began baking pretzels at the house.  The Sturgis Pretzel House, now a Lititz landmark, is the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in the United States.

Lititz Improvement, Inc. has purchased the Pretzel House for renovation.  Managed by Dennis Beck, Lititz Improvement is a real estate investment group made up of civic-minded local investors who have purchased and renovated several Lititz buildings in the past.

Modern rest facilities are planned so that the Pretzel House can accommodate bus tours.  Lititz Improvement, Inc. plans to reopen the Pretzel house for business as an operating museum in the near future.  The Sturgis Pretzel House will once again continue to be, along with the Wilbur Chocolate Factory, one of the many historic attractions that bring visitors to Lititz every year from all over the eastern states.

Copyright2007BrianSchulman©

Just outside the Boro of Lititz, you will find the wonderful community of Brookfield Estates.  Nestled between Newport Road and Market Street, Brookfield boasts a nice mix of townhouses, semi-detached and detached homes.

What makes this community outstanding is that it is bordered on one side by farm land, and on the other side by a community park run by the township.

Linear Park has a playground for the children, soccer and baseball fields, paved walkways, and a small creek.  In the winter it is home to many snow geese, and in the summer months ducks thrive in its pond and wetlands.

The homes in this development have continuet to increase in value since being built in the early 1990s.  Close to shopping and restaurants, Brookfield Estates is within walking distance to the downtown shopping district of Lititz.