When Montandon Had A Hotel (And It May Have Been A Speakeasy too!)

Built before 1860, the hotel primarily served the railroad men and travelers, and was rumored to be a speakeasy during prohibition.  It had a vareity of owners over the years, and was sometimes known as Hotel Wenzel (for the Wenzels who owned it for more than 45 years) and  Pete & Rae's Iron Hat (When Pete and Rae Eisenworth owned it in the late 1950 50's and 60's).  In 1974 the owners at that time changed the name back to the Montandon Hotel.  The building was destroyed in fire that was determined to be arson in 1977, and stood as a fire damaged eyesore for two years before Mr. Sheets purchased the property and had it razed, making the area a parking lot.

The Hotel was one of the first buildings in Montandon, built when the town was known as Lewisburg Junction.  It was located right beside the railroad tracks, near the train station.  

The railroad transported good which were unloaded from canal boats in the cross-cut canal in Lewisburg.  It also transported passengers, who  took could take a stagecoach to Lewisburg once they disembarked here.

The hotel, which changed ownership numerous times over the years,  had  a bar and three dining rooms on the main floor.  The second floor originally had 12 rooms, but Eisenhuth converted those into two apartments in the late 1950s when he owned the establishment.   It was Eisenhuth who believed the hotel had been a speakeasy during prohibition.

In November of 1977, the hotel caught fire.  No one was inside at the time, the residents were on a hunting trip.  The cause of the fire was ruled as arson, but it does not appear anyone was ever arrested for the crime.

The fire damaged building stood empty for two years.  After the township filed a lawsuit against the owners, citing them for not razing the building, Dale Sheets, who owned the home on the other side of the tracks, purchased the structure. 

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