A Brief History of The Manor on Lititz Pike

Written by James McMahon, Ph.D.
Posted by Emily Miller

My name is James McMahon and for the past few months I have been working as a project archivist for LancasterHistory. My responsibilities include cataloging and digitizing a vast collection of archival materials that document the significant role of the cork industry in the local economy.

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In organizing and cataloging materials related to the Armstrong Cork Company (now Armstrong World Industries, Inc.), I came across a number of mid-twentieth century photos of large groups of young men in front of what was then known as Armstrong Manor. If you grew up anywhere around the City of Lancaster, have played golf at Overlook Golf Course, or just routinely drive the Lititz Pike between Lancaster and Neffsville, you are probably familiar with what today is known simply as The Manor—the stately white mansion with the wraparound porch that is now home to the financial planning firm of Rodgers & Associates.

I grew up in Manheim Township just a short distance away from The Manor and was intrigued to learn more about the history of the property and the people who owned it. I hope you will find this information to also be of interest as well.

 

The Manor was originally part of a farm known as Bloomingdale. Longtime residents may recognize Bloomingdale as the name of the development that today surrounds The Manor. The original part of the mansion was built circa 1866 by David P. Locher (1827-1884), a prosperous local businessman. According to the Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (1903), Locher was born in July 1827 in Shepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia), although the History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (1883) lists his place of birth as Washington County, Maryland. At any rate, he came to Lancaster as a child and as an adult operated a number of tanneries on South Prince St. before venturing into farming and even banking. According to the Annals:

Mr. Locher also owned and conducted an excellent and well improved farm of 120 acres in Manheim Township. He was greatly interested in fine stock, and his herd of blooded Jersey cattle was the admiration of farming communities for many miles around. He was also an admirable judge of horses, and kept a fine stable in Lancaster, his four-in-hand of Hambletonian breed being the only one in the city for many years.

In 1848, Locher married Clementina Matilda Evans, daughter of Lancaster merchant Robert Evans. As part of his business portfolio, Evans established a private bank in 1855. That bank became known as D.P. Locher & Son in 1870 when Charles, the eldest of the four Locher sons joined his father. According to the Annals, “It was in 1870 that he [David P. Locher] engaged in the banking business in partnership with his son, Charles Howell who has since followed that foundation branch of finance with remarkable success.” At the time of publication, Charles Howell Locher was president of the City Savings Fund & Trust company of Lancaster.

 

The three younger sons born to David and Clementina Locher—Robert, Grove, and Clement—all assumed positions of oversight with the various tanneries established by their father. With the death of Robert in 1897, Grove Locher assumed the presidency of what was then known as the Park Run Tanning Company. On April 9, 1906, Grove Locher (1864-1933) purchased Bloomingdale Farm for $21,000. Grove took great pride in caring for Bloomingdale as noted in this entry appearing in the Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, Volume VI (1916):

Mr. [Grove] Locher’s farm in Manheim Township is devoted to general agricultural operations, the rich soil producing to a remarkable extent. His pride in its possession and in the leading position it occupies is natural and needs no apology, and its wealth and fertility has not diminished since the days when it was owned by his honored father. His farm is a desirable one not alone for the great diversity of the soil, for its location and physical aspects make it a most attractive estate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, Grove’s life would have a tragic ending. The April 9. 1933 edition of the Sunday News (Lancaster) reported that Grove Locher had killed himself with a .22 caliber revolver and suggested that the death may have been a result of worries over money. David P. and Grove Locher, along with other family members, are buried in Woodward Hill Cemetery in the City of Lancaster.

On May 29, 1920, Armstrong Cork Company purchased the mansion from Grove Locher for $26,930. Although the company was still headquartered in Pittsburgh (the corporate offices would not move to Lancaster until 1929), Armstrong already had two manufactories in the city—the Lancaster Closure Plant along New Holland Avenue and a linoleum flooring manufacturing plant in Manheim Township. Company president Charles D. Armstrong, son of company founder Thomas M. Armstrong, was concerned that young men entering the Armstrong sales force (including his own son, Dwight) were not afforded proper housing when in Lancaster for training.

Many of these men were hired right out of college and not accustomed to living on their own. Armstrong also wanted to have a suitable location for hosting business meetings in Lancaster. In Bloomingdale, Armstrong found what he was looking for—space for hosting meetings in a bucolic environment close to the Lancaster factories and space for hosting sales trainees (all single men at the time) during their 6-month training program at the linoleum flooring manufacturing plant. The company spent an additional $27,742 on renovations and renamed the property Armstrong Manor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1966, Armstrong enlarged the facility by constructing a two-story concrete addition containing 24 hotel-style rooms as well as a reception/lounge area. The original building was also remodeled to contain a dining room, a commercial kitchen and a conference room. More recently, Armstrong used the property to provide housing for visiting employees and customers as well as for meeting space.

In November 2010, Armstrong announced its plan to close Armstrong Manor by the end of the year since the facility was no longer needed. Rodgers & Associates purchased the property in December 2011. The new owners chose to simply call the property The Manor—a name honoring the building’s heritage while at the same time providing it with a new sense of identity and purpose.

 

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