Valley Girl Views: Have You Had A Pig From The Arrowhead?

The Arrowhead restaurant, on 405 between Milton and Watsontown, is known for its "Pigs and Pies". The Pig In A Blanket is a fried pork sandwich, created by one of the original owners, John Newcomer. The Drive In originally opened in 1947, as The Red Arrow.

Closed for the winter, the restaurant reopened under new ownership on March 2020.

Alicia Hoffman, of Milton, purchased the business. In 2023, the restaurant was sold again, reopening as The Arrowhead Bar & Restaurant.

https://www.arrowheadbarandrestaurant.com/

In 1947, Partners Harold Cooper and John Newcomer opened Milton's first drive in restaurant - The Red Arrow. Sometime before 1953, Newcomer became the sole owner, and he renamed the restaurant to The Arrowhead.

I'm unsure exactly what year the name changed from Red Arrow to Arrowhead, but in 1953 there was an article in the Daily Item about a robbery at the Arrowhead restaurant.

The Arrowhead's signature "pig in a blanket" sandwich was invented by the restaurants founder, John Newcomer. The sandwich consists of a piece of breaded pork loin, deep fried, served in a bun.

Patty Hackenberg started working at the Arrowhead in the summer of 1963, as a dishwasher, the same year that John Newcomer sold the Arrowhead to his daughter Edna, and her husband James Schell. By the time Patty graduated high school, she was helping with the management of the restaurant. In 1993, 30 years after she started there as a dishwasher, Patty purchased the Arrowhead.

The Dining Room Inside the Arrowhead

Throughout the years, the restaurant has been damaged by a series of floods. In 1964 the drive in was so severely damaged that it had to be rebuilt. The newspaper reported "A shell of the building, showing some of the equipment, is standing today, surrounded by water."

The remains of the Arrowhead in front, with the Hacienda in the back

In 1972, the floodwaters carried a tractor trailer into the building, knocking it off of its foundation. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan brought 6 feet of water into the building, closing it for three months. And those were just the big floods, there have been many other times that the restaurant has closed for high water.

The Sunbury Daily Item

March 15 1964

When the river reaches 19 1/2 feet, the stretch of Route 405 running past the restaurant is closed. The Arrowhead staff pays close attention to the weather reports, and have lots of practice preparing for high water. Hackenberg once said in an interview that "We don't have fire drills, we have flood drills." In four and a half hours, with help from local firefighters, her and her staff can empty the building of all but the heaviest equipment, which is put up on cinder blocks.

In 2015, Patty Hackenberg lost her battle with brain cancer. A memorial has been erected in the restaurant parking lot. Patty's widow, Annie, keeps the restaurant going, but does hope to find a new owner to take over the business soon.

The Sunbury Daily Item

February 1969

In 2019, the Arrowhead closed for the winter, just as it had from 1947 to 1972. It was only beginning in 1972 that the restaurant was open year round.

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The Arrowhead will once again close its doors, on August 18th 2022.